


Upon Nightfall

by GoddessofAnubis



Series: Upon Series [2]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Blood, Child Death, Gen, Hints of pedophilia, Torture, talk of children torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-05-16 11:31:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 69,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5827030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessofAnubis/pseuds/GoddessofAnubis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One can never trust happy endings. Especially when you haven't tied up all the loose ends. Sequel to Upon Daybreak.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Show Has Just Begun

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, I wanted to put this here too since people liked it so much and my series even ended up on TV Tropes, something I'm very proud of! I hope you'll all enjoy.

 

 

If possible, please support me at my [Ko-Fi](https://ko-fi.com/O4O2A5UY) ! It would mean a lot!

 

 

 

_Xxxxx_

_There was nothing more rejuvinating than the warmth, the pure heat, that a body gave off. And yet, there was something even more exhilirating about when the body heat faded, in the way it paled as the life left the eyes. There was nothing more enjoyable in life to him. He sighed, a trembling hand reaching up and cupping the cheek of one._

_He hadn't enjoyed the girl. She looked like every other one; smug and snobby and too good for him. But it was alright. She had suffered, had cried, and it made it all okay. And the boys had given him everything he'd wanted. Especially the last one with the blue eyes._

_"Hey, you about ready?"_

_He almost jumped before grinning. "Of course! How's the wife coming?"_

_"Hit four months. She told me I better not come home without some...ugh, pineapple pizza. So gross..."_

_He came from the room, chuckling as the older man rolled his eyes. "Better get used to it."_

_"Shut up. And get back into the security room, would you, and do your damn job."_

_He was brushed off. Grinning smugly, he watched his boss go before pausing. Someone was watching him? Likely a kid. He turned, catching one small boy watching him as he clung to his mom's pants. He waved, and the kid waved back happily. He still had it._

_Whistling, he headed for the security room._

xxxxxx

"You're at 30% and it's only two."

"Shut up okay! I'm not used to this yet."

Mike rolled his eyes as Mark switched cameras. Sighing, he decided not to say anything as the younger night guard flailed and began panicking. He tried to bite down a laugh when Mark jumped, Bonnie standing too close to the camera and eyes black.

"Why can they still do thaaat..." He whined.

The brunette considered making a comment but thought better of it. He only cleared his throat, and watched the dark eyed man check Pirate's Cove. He tapped the door button when the curtains were open before Mark could even register what he'd seen.

"How are you so good at this?? I mean, I get that you had to do it for real and shit but come on..."

"It was either live or die. You can't really slack." Mike shrugged. He glanced up when Foxy knocked on the door. "You just lost 4%."

"Mother fuckers!"

"Chica."

Mark hissed something under his breath. He slammed the door shut on the chicken's face. Mike wondered if this was how he looked when he did this the first few days, but shrugged it off. The younger man was looking through cameras, seeing Freddy had moved from the dinning area and paused at the back room.

The guard frowned slightly. Springtrap was propped up on the table. No one had touched the suit yet since despite saving the children's souls two months ago...Jeremy was still in the hospital. The engineer said shit came up, but wouldn't explain. Sighing, he wasn't surprised to see Golden Freddy sitting near the gold bunny, a children's book in hand.

"I guess Spring really likes reading stories to children." Mark mumbled. Mike looked up. "Goldie mentioned it when I caught him taking books from the kid's area. But since he hasn't in so long, he's...catching him up on newer books."

"...for when he's back?"

Mark shrugged. "I guess. He seemed pretty happy at the idea of Springtrap coming back but...I dunno. It seems unlikely. I'm not Jeremy but he kinda separated his brain from his body."

Mike barely flinched when the lights went out. Mark cursed loudly. "You failed."

"I can see that! Ugh, come on, you guys weren't playing fair."

Freddy's lit up eyes peeked into the room. "How crude, Mr. Pliers. We are nothing but fair."

"Aww, I thought I be the one to grab him." Foxy whined as he walked in from the right. "Mike be helpin him, they was cheatin'."

"Mike doesn't cheat." Bonnie argued.

Mark scowled. "And I do??"

The three animatronics nodded. Huffing, Mark tossed the tablet on to the desk. "Fine, I see how it is. I'm going to get something to drink."

He stalked off, mumbling to himself. Mike chuckled, standing up and stretching. "You guys did go pretty hard on him. That was, what? A night six? He's only tried this twice."

"He had ya helpin. Not our faults the boy can't keep up." The fox grumbled.

"And I vaguely recall a certain Head Guard promising us more movies if Mr. Pliers couldn't keep up." Freddy added.

Mike groaned. Bonnie handed over his bag, and heaving a sigh, Mike led them all towards the dining room. He set up his laptop and began rifling through the movie selections. He looked up when Mark came out with a large soda, tablet again in his hand.

"Not that one again..." He said.

"Don't start. I already said we aren't arguing tonight." Mike snapped, throwing one into the laptop.

They went through four different movies. Mike yawned, trying to wake himself up. It'd been a long few nights, and he'd been working some days as well. He was exhausted. He only mumbled a response when Bonnie picked him off his feet, too used to being man handled by the robots.

"Here, Mike." Chica walked into the room with a pizza box, handing it over when he took it. "Tell Jeremy we miss him."

Mike smiled. "Don't worry, I will."

"Come on now. Places." Freddy motioned to them all when they hesitated. The guard knew that they were all worried. "We'll be seeing you soon, Mr. Schmidt."

They all waved and went into their places. Mike got his things and walked with Mark out of the restaurant. He yawned again, putting the hot pizza into the passanger seat.

"Lemme know how he's doing?" Mark asked.

"Of course. He just needs to adjust." The older man sighed. "It's gonna take awhile is all."

"I know, it's just...it's been two months. He should've been released by now if he was doing well, right?"

Mike hesitated at that. It was true, and they both knew it, but he decided not to comment. "...don't fall asleep today."

"Do I ever?" Mark huffed, waving as he headed off.

Mike watched him go. After a moment he sighed and got into his car and headed towards the hospital. The nurses waved and one gave him a look when they saw the pizza. He chuckled nervously before ducking into Jeremy's room.

"You scared the shit outta me, damn...holy fuck is that Chica's?"

The guard grinned, nodding as he handed it over. "Yep, made with love. Foxy really misses you."

Jeremy snorted, opening the box. He groaned happily when he saw the contents, full of green peppers, sausage, mushroom, and extra onion. Mike watched him inhale a piece, rolling his eyes. The engineer had been complaining nonstop about not having any good food. He paused though. Something seemed different about Jeremy.

"How are things?" Mike asked lightly.

Jeremy finished his slice, rubbing his hands on the sheets. "Well, doc told me I can leave thursday."

"That's great." Mike said.

"Mmm. I need some practice walking on this thing on tiles though." He motioned to the prosthetic sitting next to him. "Apparently something got fucked up though."

The brunette hesitated, frowning. "What do you mean?"

Jeremy finally looked at him fully. The guard paused, trying to find what seemed so off about him before seeing it. He bit his lip hard as the blond chuckled humorlessly.

"I think it adds to my charm."

His right eye had a dazed look to it. The green had faded slightly into a pale color. When he turned away and went back to his pizza, it barely moved in its eye socket. Catching his look, the blond sighed.

"I can still see from it. It's a haze, but mostly it just fucked with my depth perception."

Mike hesitated. "You can wear an eyepatch. Foxy would be happy."

Jeremy looked surprised before he laughed. "Oh fuck no. I am not looking like that asshole."

"Come on! He's be so happy to be twins with you. He can teach you how to use your new leg and how to look cool in an eyepatch. The essentials." Mike grinned.

They both began laughing almost hyserically. The guard felt almost ashamed; he shouldn't be making jokes about his friend's disabilities. And yet, seeing the oddly relieved look on Jeremy's face made him feel so much better.

"It kinda looks cool. Like, you look like a harden badass that's been through some shit. Probably killed a man."

Jeremy snorted as he ate more pizza. "If only."

"So Thursday huh? You better be prepared. Foxy seriously misses you and I don't think the rest of em know how to express that they really want you back despite you being a giant jackass." Mike went on, grinning.

"I like to think that's everyone's reaction to me."

xxxxxx

"If you guys keep arguing, we're never going to finish this on time."

Mike sighed, watching as Chica and Foxy didn't even pause; the two were fighting over what color streamers to put up on the stage. Bonnie was in the kitchen baking something, and next to the guard, Freddy was watching the pair irritably.

"Mind giving me a hand, Freddy?" Mike asked.

The bear nodded. "Of course, Mr. Schmidt. Chica, Foxy, either you get back to work or I'll turn you both off!"

Both jumped, Foxy glowering as he flicked his eye patch up. "This be important!"

"Indeed it is, because if Mr. Fitzgerald arrives and the decorations aren't ready, I'll dismantle you both."

"Mike, can you go grab the plates?" Bonnie asked as he carried out a huge cake. "Foxy I grabbed the icing."

The pirate perked up, leaping over and grabbing the tube of green icing. "I best think of sumthin' perfect..."

Mike rolled his eyes and headed for the kitchen. It was too bad Mark couldn't be here for Jeremy's first day (night?) back, but he had worked open to close. Sighing, he grabbed the plates and forks. He paused when movement caught his eye, nearly having a heart attack until he spotted the Marionette grabbing something in the higher shelves.

"You scared me." He whined.

The puppet paused an glanced down at him, head tilting. "Forgive me, Michael. I didn't know you were there."

"It's, it's okay. Um, Jeremy's coming back tonight. You could join us if you want."

"I believe he'd have a better time if I remain out of sight." The Marionette grabbed a packet of unopened napkins and plates and slid back into the freezer. "Thank you for inviting me."

Mike watched him go, perplexed. What did a puppet animatronic need with plates? Shrugging, he brought out the items needed and set them up on a table. He smiled when he saw Foxy had written on the cake, spelling out 'Welcome Back, Jeremy' and the four were now working on the decorations.

"Looks great, guys."

"Obviously. We've only been doing this for longer than you've been born." Freddy said, rolling his eyes playfully. Mike chuckled. "Bonnie, your slightly crooked there."

The bunny glared back at Freddy. "That doesn't exactly help me."

"Left side." Mike said.

"Thank you, Mike, for giving me actual instructions since I can't see it for myself..." Bonnie grumbled, thankfully not noticing Freddy as the bear mimicked him.

"Bonnie's been grumpy lately...we should have Jeremy check him." Chica said.

"Maybe because you guys dumped all the work on him tonight?" Mike offered, smirking.

The bunny preened. "Thank you."

Now finished with decorations, the three finished up. Freddy nodded, looking around in content. "Good. Now we wait for Mr. Fitzgerald."

They waited only ten minutes. Mike smiled when he saw Jeremy walking in, the blond grumbling as he limped on his prosthetic. He paused, surprised at all the streamers and such, looking annoyed when he spotted the lit-up cake.

"You act like it's my birthday." He grumbled.

"Even better! Ya welcome back party." Foxy said.

"We insisted." Mike added.

Jeremy rolled his eyes and sighed. "Whatever. What do you have for me?"

Freddy cut the cake, humming to himself. Once he had the first piece, Jeremy was inspected by Foxy and Bonnie, the two looking over his fake leg and how his bad eye looked. Then they argued if having a fake hand was anything like a fake leg. Sighing, Mike ate his own piece of cake.

"Ow..." Jeremy glared at his fork, a smear of chocolate against his chin. "Keep stabbing myself."

"You might wanna go slower until you're used to it..." Mike offered.

Freddy offered a napkin. The blond took it and wiped his face of crumbs and icing. Mike watched him carefully, trying not to be obvious about it. He seemed together, but there was an obvious shakiness to how he moved. Granted he'd been in a hospital bed for over two months, but the guard still worried.

"Great cake, Bonnie."

If he could, the bunny would've blushed. "Thanks, Jeremy."

"Anything important I need to get to before I work on the rotting bunny?" The blond asked.

 **"I prefer you not to talk about Spring like that, Mr. Fitzgerald."** Golden Freddy said as he walked out from the back room. Both humans jumped. **"Especially not when he can hear you."**

"Right, fine, no jokes about the dead guy." Jeremy grumbled.

Freddy raised an eyebrow. "What can we do for you, Goldie?"

The gold bear paused, looking between Freddy and Mike. **"Ran out of story books."**

"I'll grab some more for you." Chica offered, heading for the small area off to the side of the stage. She grabbed a few and handed them over.

Mike watched the bear curiously. He'd never seen the ghost like animatronic...well, anywhere really. It was odd to see him in the dining room. With a thankful nod, Golden Freddy took them into the room with him and shut the door. Jeremy raised an eyebrow and made a face. Mike snorted.

"Uh, anyway," The guard went on. "Are you guys good? Or do you need Jeremy to work on you first?"

"I believe we're fine. We have a few holes that were patched, nothing crippling." Freddy shrugged.

Bonnie nodded. "We're okay."

"You should finish your cake first though. Springtrap can wait..." Mike mumbled, frowning when Jeremy put down his plate.

"Relax, I'm bringing it home with me. Now come on, you're helping me with this crap." The blond said, grabbing Mike's arm and dragging him off.

"Heey, you can't just kidnap Mike!" Chica argued, scowling.

"You had him for two months! Fuck off." Jeremy snapped.

Mike sighed as they went into the back room. Golden Freddy barely looked up at them, looking through the children books Chica had given him. Springtrap was still on the table, laid out and waiting for the engineer. Jeremy grabbed his toolbox and began inspecting him.

"Hmm...this might take some work. Most of his wiring won't hold for repair since he's so old. And he ripped apart his endoskeleton when he removed his head." He moved on, using a small flashlight to look around Springtrap's holes. "I think I'll have to crack open the shell and remove the remains before anything. A lot of bones and shit are wedged into important shit."

"Will he...be okay?" Mike asked hesitantly.

Jeremy sighed. "I dunno. I mean, I don't know how robot sentience works coupled with ghost powers. Connecting the main wiring back into his harddrive might fix everything, but he might not be...whoever he was."

 **"You need not worry, Michael. Spring is still Spring, even if it means starting over."** Golden Freddy said, making them both jump. **"I would not be a very good friend if I gave up on him that easily."**

"I'm not sure what's backed up in his systems. He's been hidden in a back room, that's full of moisture and mold, for at least twenty years. Goldie says thirty. It's a miracle he's even held together, much less that any of his power works. He might not remember anything, he might just be a cold, emotionless robot, he could be psycho." Jeremy shrugged.

"You're really reassuring." Mike grumbled, glaring at him.

The blond snorted. "It's not my job to be reassuring."

He leaned in to inspect something. Mike winced when he leaned forward too much and smacked his head against the edge of a hole, hissing as he rubbed it. "Are you okay?"

"Fine."

"Are you sure? You've got a scratch-"

"Fine thank you."

Mike huffed, hands on his hips as he watched Jeremy go back to what he was doing. Fine then, see if he was ever concerned about him again. He got closer though when Jeremy grabbed some pliers and reached inside Springtrap, hissing to himself as he wrestled with something.

"Hm...I was hoping we could use this to identify who it was."

He had a piece of old, stained cloth in the pliers. It was impossible to tell what color it used to be, it was so dark. The stain was obviously blood, and was torn and ripped from wherever it had been lodged. Mike felt a bit ill, remembering that indeed, it was a person inside there.

"He made it pretty clear he worked here." Mike said.

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, but that doesn't help us. We don't know shit about anyone who works here."

He deflated slightly. "I guess it doesn't matter..."

He watched the blond go back to it. The smell had faded slightly, not nearly as awful as it had been when Springtrap had been first awoken. But it was definitely there, and Mike was amazed that the engineer could get so into the robot without gagging.

"The bones are brittle...but there's no way I can get them out without getting him open." Jeremy sighed and pulled away. "I'll have to start plastoring him after that...maybe while he's open..."

"You know, I had a chat with mister killer spirit guy."

The blond glanced up, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? Bet that was fun."

Mike sighed, trying to think of what he wanted to say. "Well...He, he mentioned you. As in, whoever he was, he worked when you did. He said he remembered when you got bit and all that. So, uh, you never met anyone? I mean, not likely I know, no one's here when we are but-"

"There was...one guy." Jeremy frowned. "But there's no way. It wasn't a huge secret what happened to me anyway."

Mike nodded. "I, uh, thought you should know was all."

"Thanks, Mike. But don't worry about it. I need to get shit together, and we both have a day shift so get outta here." Jeremy smirked at him. "Go let your creepy pets look after you."

The guard flushed. "You're a moron. And I'm not going anywhere, you've been stuck in a hospital bed for two months. I'm going to go grab some chairs. Get to work."

xxxxxxxx

"Are you sure it's safe? I mean, I know the company is going in a new direction and all, but to let them wander around like this?"

Mike sighed. The woman in front of him was holding a small child and he didn't want to be rude to her but...well, he'd gotten this question a lot today. "Ma'am, we've tested this for months before bringing it back."

That was a lie. It had been springed on them this morning. Mike had no idea why, or what was going on but decided he didn't care. The animatronics were all happy to be wandering around with children, Bonnie helping some color in coloring books and Chica was reading books. It took a moment to find Freddy, but he was near the Cove, sitting with a group of kids.

"If you're sure..." The mother said uncertainly.

"Don't worry, they'd never let anything happen to the kids." Mike smiled, nodding as she walked away.

He tried not to sigh again. He understood of course; Freddy's had an awful reputation. But things were getting better. And with the ghosts of children gone, hopefully that meant the accidents would be as well. Curious what Freddy was doing, he walked over.

"Ah, Mr. Schmidt! I was about to get you." The bear greeted. "This young man has taken a fall. Would you mind helping him? He didn't want to bother you."

The guard looked down at the boy. He was likely twelve, pouting as he hid his hurt knee from view with his hands. Smiling, Mike kneeled down and reached into his pocket. He'd had a habit of keeping band aids on him since Jeremy kept hurting himself.

"You like any of these? I'm afraid I don't have many options."

The boy huffed before looking. They were of course official Freddy Fazbear merchandise, which the front sold for ridiculous prices. Chica had given him them when Jeremy had cut himself on a piece of Springtrap's shell.

"...can, can I have a Foxy?"

Mike nodded. "Of course. I bet if you went and saw him with it, he'd be pretty happy."

He helped the boy put it on. The scraps were bloody but nothing deep. Likely just painful. That done, Mike looked around at all the children sitting with Freddy. A few were counting tokens from the small array of arcade machines, others had pieces of pizza.

"Seems like you've got a small army of fans." He said, grinning at the bear.

Freddy went to answer, and then something boiling and very very painful met Mike's shoulder. He yelped, stunned, as he looked up to see a tray and some pizza. It was obviouly fresh as it seared itself through his uniform and into his skin. He quickly tried to smack it off, but the cheese stuck to his hands.

It wasn't until Freddy wiped it off of him that Mike could even think straight. A waitress was standing over him, looking confused and appalled as she picked up the tray. "O-oh, I...um, I didn't see you! You can't be sitting there in the way, what are you doing on the floor?"

"C-can this wait?" Mike muttered through clenched teeth. He needed to get to the bathroom and clean this off.

"Are you alright, Mr. Schmidt?" Freddy asked, looking concerned.

He slowly got up. His hand was red, but was also covered in pizza sauce. Every nerve was screaming as it burned. He had no idea how bad it was until he could clean it off and get some cold water on it.

"You're not pining this on me. I was doing my job, it's not my fault you were sitting around." The waitress followed after him as he made his way to the bathrooms.

"Are we really going to argue this right now? Okay, I'm sorry I was in the way, but I kinda am dealing with some burns." Mike said, dumbfounded.

He'd never really dealt with any of the day staff. He didn't have a chance to. But was this lady really going to chase him down until she got a written apology or something? He groaned when the pain flared again.

"Damn straight you were, I'm not losing my job-"

"Is there a problem, Miss Smith?"

They both jumped as Freddy appeared. They were hidden in the small hallway in front of the bathrooms, and the bear was taking up the entire doorway. Mike had a bad feeling as Freddy stared the waitress down. Was it his imagination or was his eyes darkening...?

"Uhh, what....?"

"I know you aren't harrassing our poor Head Guard, Miss Smith, am I correct? That would be a shame you see." The animatronic leaned in close, making the waitress back away. Mike watched, stunned, pain forgotten. "I don't appreciate it when someone breaks something of mine you see."

"F-Freddy," Mike cut in, holding a hand up and getting between them. "Miss Smith was just worried, it's alright. Really. Um, you shouldn't leave the kids alone, they're probably wondering where you are."

He ignored the girl as she looked between them both. Freddy scowled but nodded. "You have a point, Mr. Schmidt. Go take care of yourself."

Nodding, Mike headed for the bathroom. Behind him, he heard the waitress hiss, "This place is fucking insane..."

"Ah, Miss Smith, you really have no idea."

xxxxxx

The burns weren't horrible. His skin was red and sensitive to the touch, but he went into the kitchen and grabbed the first aid. A chef helped him apply some ointment to his shoulder and he had to bandage his hand. Sighing, he went back to the stage floor was promply ambushed by Jeremy.

"Freddy told me what happened, you okay?" He asked, frowning. "He seemed pretty scary."

Mike hesitated. "Well...he might've just threatened a employee..."

"...Okay now you definitely have to explain this."

"Can't this wait until later?" The guard whined slightly. He was hurting and he still needed to get to work.

"Nuh uh. Mark just came in to replace you, so you can get your skinny ass into the back room and explain this while I work on the asshole." Jeremy said.

Well then...he wasn't going to punch out first. Sighing, Mike followed after Jeremy into the back room. Springtrap had been stripped of his shell, leaving behind an endoskeleton. The brunette was surprised that Golden Freddy wasn't in the room, but guessed he couldn't be during the day.

"How's he coming?"

Jeremy snorted. "It's going to take awhile. There's so much shit inside him." He shrugged. "I might not even get most of it, but I'll get enough that he'll be able to function properly. I'm mostly fixing the skeleton first. I'm plastoring the holes in the shell between shit. Now tell me what happened out there."

Sighing, Mike did so. Jeremy raised an eyebrow, looking unamused. When the guard finished, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Wow...what a bunch of shit."

"I'm okay. I'll just get home and take a shower before putting more stuff on it."

"You should report her ass." Jeremy grumbled.

"It was an accident, there's no reason to-"

"Mike, she stalked you to the bathroom. I think the best thing to happen to her is being fired."

"I think being threatened by a huge animatronic bear is punishment enough." Mike said.

Jeremy gave him a look before sighing. "If you say so..."

Mike nodded. "Really, I'm okay. Just glad Freddy didn't attack her or something."

"You know, it's kinda...weird right? Like, Fazfuck never would've pulled this shit during the day before. But now with no ghost kids he is?" The engineer frowned.

"Hm, I guess. But maybe he's just worried? I mean, we almost died Jeremy." Mike shrugged it off; it wasn't something to really bother with, only that he needed to make sure he spoke to Freddy about it never happening again. "Anyway, I'm going to head out. Good luck with Springtrap."

"See ya tonight."

Mike punched out, wanting nothing more than to get home and take a cold shower. His shoulder was throbbing despite whatever he used on it. Yawning, he headed for the door only to pause. He rubbed his eyes, looking around.

Everything was...dulled. The place was completely empty, baren, and the layout was different. Confused, Mike walked into the huge room, full of banners and different tables and a small, expensive looking carousel. Stunned, the guard turned to the stage but it was empty.

"What...?"

He stiffened, a dark presence looming behind him. He heard a ragged sound, someone struggling to breathe, and felt their breath against the back of his neck. Every hair was standing on end as he dared not turn around.

_"...I..."_

What? A sudden pressure made Mike feel ill. He couldn't explain it as he struggled to keep breathing and swallowing down bile.

_"I....remain."_

 


	2. Not Until You're Gone

He wasn't dreaming. The thought was immediate, and so _sure_. He couldn't be dreaming. Something was telling him he'd been felt this before. Of the deep pit in his stomach, of fear and something so much worse, he'd felt it all before. He hesitated, not sure if he dare turn around.

**"Michael?"**

The room was spinning. Brown, yellow and blue swirled together as the carousel began moving wildly. He watched, entranced. As faces emerged, Mike realized that the figures on the carousel were Freddy, Bonnie and Chica.

**"Michael, are you alright?"**

He gasped, choking briefly before coughing violently. Someone patted his back and he groaned, panting as he finally could focus his eyes. He was laying on the floor...after a moment, he looked around to see he was in the back room. Golden Freddy was standing over him, black eyes watching him closely.

"W-what...?"

The bear tilted his head. **"Jeremy brought you in. You collapsed near the doors, I believe they are calling someone to help you. If I overheard correctly, they had to turn Freddy and the others off. They were quite worried about you."**

Mike frowned, groaning. "What...? Collapsed...?? I feel like I just got ran over by a truck."

He slowly sat up, wincing when he felt dizzy. His shoulder was burning again, and he felt nauseaous. He jumped slightly when the robot gently grabbed his arm.

**"You should remain laying down, Michael."**

He did so. The room stopped tipping once he laid his head against the floor. It gave him a moment to collect his thoughts and realize whatever had happened to him. He didn't recognize where that place had been, or why he'd seen it. But after dealing with ghosts like he had, he had a feeling it was likely something to do with that.

"Is he awake? Mike are you alright?"

Mark ran in, sitting next to him. Mike groaned, not sure what to say in response. He had no idea if he was indeed alright; everything hurt and he felt sick. The younger guard smiled.

"Can you get up? We need to get you to the hospital. Your burns are pretty bad, and we have no idea why you collapsed."

"Don't wanna go back there..." Mike whined.

"Yeah, I know, but you have to. Come on, let's get you up." Mark said.

He helped him to his feet. Mike stumbled, Golden Freddy helping him from falling over. **"Hurry back, Michael."**

Mike wasn't entirely sure how they got from the pizza place to the hospital. He might've blacked out. All he knew was he was annoyed to be back in the hospital when he'd had more than enough of the place before.

"What happened?"

The guard was confused to see both Jeremy and Mark in his room. He frowned. When had this happened? What time was it? How was he supposed to explain what had happened when he didn't understand it himself?

"You collapsed at the door. You freaked people out, and of course the robotic assholes went balistic. I thought for sure Bonnie was about to tear someone in half that was trying to wake you up. Had to turn them all off and explain to the crowd that they had a system in their computers to call for help." Jeremy explained.

"Sorry...I, I don't know what happened. I was walking to the door and I was...somewhere else?" Mike frowned.

Mark gave him a look. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I was...I was in a different building, or something. And then I was in the back room with Goldie."

Jeremy scowled. "So what? You had some kind of vision? But the ghost kids are gone."

"I know...and that's why I don't understand it. It's not somewhere I've ever been before so it's not like I just fainted and saw a place I knew. It was completely foreign to me." Mike sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe the pain just got to me."

"How's the shoulder, by the way?" Mark asked.

"The doctor said you were lucky. Fazfuck got the shit off of you in time to not have any lasting nerve damage." The blond mumbled.

Mike sighed. "That's good. I can't feel it at all. Am I going to be released today?"

"Yeah, they can't find anything wrong with you."

The guard sighed in relief. Good, he didn't want to be here more than necessary. After a bit, Jeremy promised he'd be back in a bit for his release and Mark promised to see him tomorrow. Waving, Mike curled up into the bed to sleep, unsettled with how familiar the hospital beds were becoming.

xxxxxx

_He couldn't control his body. Mike was confused as he walked down a huge hallway. There were doorways on either side, but it was too dark to see into them. He found himself looking around. And then he turned to see a room, lit up by a single small bulb, with a small table._

_He sat behind the table, grabbing a flashlight. No matter how he tried, Mike couldn't move. He tried to look around but his eyes remained on the flashlight. Finally, whoever this was looked up. The flashlight turned on and Mike would've jumped if he could. He only recognized Toy Freddy from the picture Jeremy had shown him so long ago._

_Wait...Toy Freddy? There was no mistaking it. The red cheeks, the plastic shell...it was even shorter than Freddy. Definitely a 'cuter' version. Mike was stunned as it walked forward. Whoever's eyes he was seeing through began breathing hard and began flicking the flashlight on and off rapidly. Toy Freddy froze up. It peeked into the room before turning and walking away._

_"Last night..." Someone whispered. It felt like Mike had said it. "Just gotta last one night."_

_Was this...a security guard? The first to witness the animatronics being possessed? Mike felt like his mind was spinning. No...what if this was... **him**? What if it was Scott? He couldn't recognize the voice when it seemed like it was him talking, it didn't sound familiar but it did. Nothing made sense...except, didn't it?_

_If this was Scott, was he...haunting the restaurant? He had been killed violently here. And he might come to Mike since he'd been his replacement. He wanted to wake up. He wanted to talk to Jeremy. If this was the old place, then Jeremy would recognize the layout. He needed to know if Scott really was out there, trying to tell him something._

_He suddenly looked up. A horrible static noise was coming from somewhere. Mike recognized it, a cold heaviness settling into his stomach. He was forced to look to the right, pushing a button above a vent. Mangle was staring at him, one eye missing as she paused from creeping into the room._

_"Get outta here...Go on, Foxy, go!"_

_He pushed the button repeatedly. The flashing made her freeze like Toy Freddy and with a static hiss, she crept back into the vent. He sighed in relief. It felt weird to be doing things like that without his own permission or thought. He didn't like it at all._

_"Please, just get to six..."_

xxxxx

Mike jumped when he felt someone gently shaking him. He looked around wildly before spotting Jeremy. The blond was frowning, looking concerned as he pulled his hand away. Realizing he was awake, the guard groaned and pushed himself up.

"You alright? I came in here and you were moving around a lot. I tried waking you up but you kept talking in your sleep."

"Y-yeah...yeah, I'm okay. Just a bad...dream."

He'd mention the dream later. Right now he just needed to know he was in reality. He barely heard Jeremy as the engineer explained that he'd been signed out and he could go, getting changed on autopilot. Once they were outside, Mike paused and looked around to make sure he was still awake.

"I take it I'm working tonight?"

Jeremy gave him a look. "Fuck no, you're going home to rest. You're shoulder's still messed up. You don't have to work tomorrow day shift either. Just...actually rest for once okay?"

Mike hesitated. He shouldn't. The animatronics were worried, and Jeremy had to keep repairing Springtrap. The company needed him there. But as he stood there, shoulder aching and head throbbing, he nodded slowly.

"Y-yeah...okay."

"...wow that was easy. Come on then you idiot, we're gonna get something to eat and get you home. How you feel about some more milkshakes?"

Mike snorted. "If you're buying."

They headed to the diner they usually stopped at. Mike was amazed when he realized that they had a usual place they hung out together. They got into a booth and after ordering the shakes and food, the guard sighed.

"So...I, I have a question. About where you used to work."

Jeremy raised an eyebrow, hand missing the napkin a few times before he grabbed it. "The old location? Sure, what do you need?"

"Well...uh, was there a huge...hallway? That led to where you sat? And vents on either side and a carousel?" Mike asked.

"...Yeah...Wait, you've seen it? Is that where you were in these fucked up visions??" The blond demanded.

"I think so. I...earlier, I was someone else. They didn't have the Freddy head like you've mentioned before, and they only had a flashlight." Mike swallowed hesitantly. "I think it was Scott."

Jeremy scowled, thinking. "Wait...are you sure? I don't remember if Scott worked at night. He left messages and said there was a guard before me they moved to the day shift."

"Well, didn't your place have a grand reopening? Maybe he worked before then...But then that means that the kids were killed before you worked there if they were hunting Scott..." Mike sighed. "I had hoped I wouldn't have to think about this anymore."

"This isn't the kind of shit that just goes away, Mike."

"I guess not. I gotta admit though, it's kinda nice seeing where you worked. It's a lot bigger than I thought." The brunette chuckled.

The engineer gave him a look. "It sucked. Mangle would pop up in random fucking places and Toy Chica would take off her beak to stare at the camera. It was a nightmare. A few times I caught that damn puppet wandering through the halls."

"Marionette? Really? That's odd...he never leaves the freezer."

"That's cuz he knows I'd probably take him apart. It'd bad enough knowing he's around I don't want to see him too." Jeremy grumbled.

They paused when their shakes arrived. Mike sipped on his gratefully, sighing. His shoulder hurt still, mostly if he moved it at certain angles, and he felt exhausted but it felt great to be sitting there with his best friend and knowing he was about to go home and sleep it all off. That, and he'd be able to see his family tomorrow night after he was sure he was okay.

"So...uh, how bad do you think tomorrow night will be?"

Jeremy smirked. "Well...there was talk of a cake." Mike scowled at him. "Nah, seriously. Bonnie and Chica were arguing over who was going to make it. You might get two. Freddy kept following me around demanding answers until Goldie kicked him outta the back room. Basically, you're pretty popular."

"You're sure I shouldn't go in tonight?" Mike asked.

"Yep. You can't put their happiness over your health. I think they'd be pissed off if you showed up still hurting just because you didn't want them worrying about you." Jeremy flicked some whip cream at him. "'Sides, let them throw you a giant 'glad you're alive' party."

Mike glared at him, wiping the cream off his shirt. "I'd call you a moron but I'd feel repetitive."

"Aww, but that's probably my favorite pet name of yours."

"Shut up and finish your shake. Asshole."

xxxxx

Mike was getting dressed the next night when his phone went off. Confused, since no one ever called him, he glanced at it to see it was work. He cursed, getting his shirt on the rest of the way before answering it.

"Hello?"

_"Mike! I heard from Jeremy that's you're alright. Glad to hear."_

The guard almost sighed irritably. "Mr. Lansdale, I appreciate the concern. But no, I'm alright, I just need to take it easy for a few days is all."

_"Ahh, about that. See, there have been some...concerns. Uh, mostly with the fact that the animatronics seem...too invested in your health. I don't think I need to explain why we can't have them getting upset just because you've fainted."_

"....of course...?" Mike rolled his eyes. The worry for his health was overwhelming. "I can talk to them if you want. I planned to anyway."

_"No! No, no, that's...not necessary. Uh, see, the CEO has made it very clear that nothing changes. We've been doing well finally in over ten years Mike, and whatever you've done to fix this needs to stay. They were considering promoting you again, get you outta the restaurant and then we won't have to worry about any incidents but then they realize that might not be a good idea."_

No kidding. He could only imagine what the others would do if he told them he was leaving. Maybe burn the place down. "I see...so is there a reason you're calling?"

_"Since you've gotten things on track for the company, I thought I'd inform you myself. We're adding to the show."_ Lansdale cleared his throat. _"Of course, since we finally have both original suits, we'll have them for a special segment. And we'll have to renovate the building, it's too small. We're also thinking of adding more of the older animatronics, and maybe-"_

"Wait, old ones??" Mike cut in, confused. He then paused. "You don't mean Mangle do you??"

His boss sighed. _"Potentially. I don't like it, since it's the one that caused us to nearly go broke before, but it's not up to me. There's been talk too of going into the storage and pulling some old stuff out. But it all depends on how the new show goes."_

Storage? Mike felt a bit ill. "You mean...the toys?"

_"If they're still functional. I mean, a lot of their pieces went into our current models. Anyway, I thought I'd let you know. Take it easy tonight Mike, and don't do anything to make the animatronics go crazy._

Mike scowled when he was hung up on. Sighing he finished getting ready and headed for his car. At least he could ask Jeremy...though he might want to wait. He might not take it well, if they were in fact trying to bring back the toys. Shrugging it off, he headed for work.

There wasn't anyone there. Confused, Mike walked in and walked towards the back room. Jeremy should be here, and if not Goldie would be back here. He opened the door, pausing. Springtrap was laying on the table still, but his head had been attached again.

"I'm surprised Golden Freddy's not with you...glad to see you have lips again." Mike chuckled.

Most of the holes in the head had been repaired. He had what looked like scars, since the fabric hadn't been replaced but it wasn't as bad as it had been. His ear was still missing though and it was weird to see him with no body.

"You've been through some shit, huh..." The guard got closer, inspecting his endoskeleton. It had been cleaned up, oiled and mostly removed of the debris and bits of human remains. He could still see some, but Jeremy had said it'd be impossible to get it all. "I hope you'll remember. Goldie would be pretty sad."

"I-I'd never make him sad. Fredbear's my f-f-friend."

Mike yelped, eyes wide. Springtrap's eyes were open, staring at him as he smiled. "Uhhh?"

"Hi! Are you Mike? J-Jeremy mentions you a lot."

"Uh, yeah...I'm Mike. You're Springtrap right?" He asked, not sure how much the robot remembered.

"Yep! Well, I used to be Spring Bonnie, but JereMYY keeps calling me Springtrap." The bunny sat himself up. He apparently wasn't bothered by the lack of shell on his body. "Fredbear still calls me Spring though."

Mike took a few steps back. He forgot how tall the bunny models were, it was a bit...intimidating. "You, uh, mind if I call you Spring?"

The bunny looked at him curiously. Mike stiffened, forcing a smile. He shouldn't feel this creeped out by a robot that wasn't even fully put together. But Springtrap was still just _staring_ at him and there was an edge to it now and Mike really, really wanted to leave.

"Yes. Only Fredbear calls me S-Spring."

"Oh, okay...s-sorry." Mike mumbled, backing up.

He was stunned when the robot beamed. "No problem!"

"There you are. Come on, Mike, they're all waiting for you." Jeremy came in, ignoring Springtrap as he waved to the engineer. "Hurry up, I thought they were about to kill me. Oh, ignore the rustbucket. I should've kept his voicebox outta him until last second, didn't know he'd be a damn chatterbox."

Mike followed after Jeremy into the dining room. "Uhh, is there something...still wrong with him?" He whispered.

"Probably."

The guard scowled. Then again, maybe it was his fault. He had no idea what personality Springtrap had. After all, he might be touchy about a nickname. And he didn't know Mike. If he remembered being possessed, then he likely remembered him trying to destroy him. Sighing, the brunette ran a hand through his hair. He almost wished Springtrap didn't remember anything then...

"Mike!"

He jumped, surprised when Chica ran over and hugged him. Jeremy muttered to himself, limping away towards a very tall cake lit up rather ambiguously in candles. He gently patted Chica's arm, wincing as she let go.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. I didn't see you guys out here."

"That be cuz th'bear wanted it ta be perfect." Foxy grumbled, glaring at Freddy.

"It has to be or what's the point??" Freddy sneered back.

The fox huffed. "I still be thinkin' there be too many damn candles."

At that, Chica glared at him. "Language! You're around Jeremy too much."

"Tell the asshole to stop breaking down and it wouldn't be a problem." Jeremy hissed.

Mike frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. Seeing he might be uncomfortable, Bonnie gently shoved Chica out of the way. "Are you hungry, Mike? Half of it's vanilla, the other half is chocolate. You get first pick."

"Uh, thanks, Bonnie...lemme see the knife." Mike flushed slightly, motioning for the cake knife.

"I think I'll do the cutting, actually, Mr. Schmidt." Freddy said. He picked it up and gave him a smile. "Now what would you like?"

Shrugging it off, the guard pointed to an edge. "Chocolate please."

"Gimme a vanilla." Jeremy said.

Freddy gave him a look. "...fine. Only because you've been looking after Mr. Schmidt for us."

"Oh, and not because I've been repairing your asses and keeping you working? Whatever." The blond rolled his eyes.

They both took their cake slices, Mike happily eating it. The green icing was also chocolate and it made it taste even better. Jeremy was eating slowly, trying not to stab himself again with the fork. Mike was almost done when they heard loud footsteps, the blond sighing irritably.

"Motherfucker...rusty get back in there."

"Mr. Fitzgerald, I know you aren't talking to Springtrap that way." Freddy said, glaring at him as Springtrap slowly managed to walk over to their group.

"Is it someone's birthday?" Springtrap asked, excited.

"No, we're welcoming Mike back. He had to go to the hospital again." Chica explained, making a face.

The gold bunny tilted his head. "I thought you only had cakes on birthdays?"

**"Spring you shouldn't be up yet. You're going to fall over and destroy something."** Golden Freddy said, walking from the bathroom area. Mike unconsciously stiffened at the sight of the gold bear.

"Aww, but Fredbear..." Springtrap pouted. "I made it out here okay."

"We don't mind helping him." Bonnie added.

"I'm sure Springtrap wants to see the restaurant, right?" Mike asked, smiling. He decided to put off the odd moment he'd had with the bunny animatronic. "Besides it has to be boring sitting in the backroom all the time."

Springtrap looked at him, looking confused. His fellow golden robot sighed. Mike jumped when Jeremy elbowed him hard into the side, almost dropping his plate.

"Do you need help getting him back?" Freddy asked.

Springtrap huffed, crossing his arms while Golden Freddy shook his head. **"I have him. Come on, Spring, I got you some coloring books."**

"Really?? Hurry up, Fredbear, did you grab enough crayons?" Springtrap grabbed the bear's arm and began trying to pull him towards the back room, tripping over his endoskeleton's feet.

Mike smiled as he watched them go. Next to him, Jeremy sighed. "They're so gooey and gross...Drives me nuts. Golden Bearasshole sits there and if Rustbucket so much as flinches, he threatens to remove my head from my spine."

"He cares about him. It's been thirty years since they've seen each other." Mike pointed out.

"Doesn't mean I need to see it." Jeremy grumbled.

Mike had another slice before deciding it was best to save the rest. He sat on the edge of the stage, rubbing at his shoulder. He blinked when Freddy came over, surprised as the bear sat next to him.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Schmidt?"

"I'm okay. It's a bit sore, but I can move." Mike smiled. "How were things after I left? You left that waitress alone right?"

The bear frowned. "I did...only because Bonnie came up with a brilliant way to get back at her."

"Freddy..." Mike began but the animatronic hushed him.

"Mr. Schmidt, a woman like that shouldn't be around children. Someone that clearly has no passion for their job or having children around them...But it's not just that, you see. The fact that a woman working here would have such little concern or respect for you..."

"She has no idea who I am. Why would she? And it doesn't matter, she doesn't owe me anything." The guard said.

Freddy removed his hat, playing with it as he pondered that. "I guess...we really are disconnected from the rest of the world, aren't we? To us six, Mr. Schmidt, you...you're everything to us. We wouldn't be here without you."

Mike felt his face get warm, unsure of what to even say. "I....well, I..."

"I hope you understand why we might...be a little over zelous in trying to look after you. I understand Mr. Fitzgerald had some words for us when we were turned back on. Sometimes it's so painfully obvious how human you are."

"If I wasn't human, I wouldn't have been able to do what I've done." Mike pointed out softly.

Freddy chuckled at that. "No...but that's why I promise whatever becomes of Miss Smith, we will not...harm her. Enough to go to the hospital anyway."

"Freddy..." The guard gave him a look. The bear grinned.

"Come now, Mike, I think you'd best get more of your cake before Mr. Fitzgerald eats it all."

Mike nodded, getting up from the stage before pausing. Had...Freddy called him by his first name? Had it been an accident? He glanced up at the robot but Freddy just smiled back, already cutting him another slice.

Laughing nervously to himself, Mike began eating as he joined them all around the stage. Sometimes, he forgot how important the quiet moments were...

 


	3. When I Come to Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive any spelling or grammar errors. This is unedited haha

"I dunno about this, Mike...I don't really...want to be anywhere near the robot that nearly killed us all." Mark mumbled.

Mike took a sip from his drink and nodded slowly. "I understand...but he's going to be in a show. You gotta get used to him eventually."

"But...but he's creepy..." The younger guard whined.

"If Jeremy can put his face into his endoskeleton I think you're fine in having a conversation with him."

Mark groaned. They had locked up for the night, both of them on night shift. Jeremy said he might come in later, since he was still working on Springtrap but he had been exhausted. It was a constant job, getting him ready. Apparently he'd been given a deadline to have Springtrap fully functional. Mike wished he could help but he had no idea how to work on animatronics.

After finishing his soda, Mike led the younger guard into the back room. He wanted to talk to Springtrap again after the last time, and Mark really did need to get used to him. He hesitated at the door, not sure if he should knock or not before just going in. The bunny was sitting on the table, kicking his feet as he read one of the children's books. He glanced up briefly to see them before going back to it.

"Hey Springtrap. How are doing?" Mike asked gently.

The robot blinked before looking up. "Hi Mike. I'm okay, J-Jeremy said I'm going to g-g-get my voicebox fixed."

Mike smiled. "That's good. Well, Springtrap, this is Mark. He works here with me."

He nudged him. Mark gave him a look before waving nervously. "H-hi..."

"Do you have a g-glitch in your voicebox too?" Springtrap asked curiously, head tilting.

"Oh, uh...no, I just..." Mark opened and closed his mouth a few times before making a noise that resembled a dying otter. Mike rolled his eyes.

"Mark was looking forward to meeting you. He's a little nervous is all." The head guard said, smirking when the other man glared at him.

"Yeah, so....uh, nice to meet you?"

Mike flinched when Mark jerked away from Springtrap when the bunny stood up. He might've gotten in front of the younger man ever so slightly as the robot beamed and shakily walked towards them.

"R-really?? To meeting me? I-I'm sorry I'm not put together y-yet..."

"Uh, that's okay...I mean, I'll be around once you are. No rush." Mark smiled uneasily. "You're already, uh, cute enough to be in the show so imagine being completely repaired and new?"

It was apparently the right thing to say since Springtrap's ears (well, ear) fluttered and he hugged Mark. The brunette wheezed, frozen still in either fear or surprise. Maybe both. Mike hesitated, not sure how to get the bunny to release his friend.

"Uhh, Springtrap??"

"J-Jeremy keeps calling me a rustbucket, y-you think I can really be cute again??" Springtrap asked.

Oh....well, Mike felt a little uncomfortable now. "Springtrap, I know you were...kinda falling apart but that's why we're going to make sure you look good as new. The kids are going to love you once you're back out there."

"Really?" The bunny finally released Mark, gazing down at his endoskeleton hands. "Fredbear s-said we'd perform again, but...that was so long ago."

Mark glanced at Mike before he put a hand on the robot's arm. "Don't worry. You only have to wait a little bit longer."

"Mike? Oh, there you are." Bonnie peeked into the room, looking curious to see them both with the gold bunny. "Hey Springtrap. Are we going to watch more movies? I bet he'd like them."

Mike briefly wondered what the relationship between the two rabbit-like animatronics were but decided it didn't matter. Bonnie said that everyone got along pretty well with the toys, why would Springtrap be any different? So he nodded, looking at the gold robot.

"You want to pick a movie to watch? It'd avoid an arguement for at least two hours..."

Springtrap tiled his head, looking curious. "Movie? I get to pick one?"

"Chica and Foxy always fight over getting to pick. And Freddy does awful, vague hints thinking he's outsmarted everyone..." Mark grumbled.

"I'll show you them all and you can pick okay?" Mike offered.

"Can Fredbear watch t-too?"

The younger guard snorted. "If he wants. He doesn't really join us on movie nights but if you're watching I'm sure he will."

They all headed into the dining room. Freddy was adjusting some chairs, since some hadn't been pushed in under the tables by the staff and Chica was doing her little bounce on her feet as she set plates.

"I'll get Foxy, you guys show Springtrap the movies." Mike said.

Bonnie helped Springtrap join their usual area where they watched movies. The older robot wobbled, his endoskeleton feet uneven still, but Mike found it cute that he leaned on Bonnie until he was sat down. Chuckling, he headed for the Cove.

"Foxy, we're about to start watching movies, you ready-"

He paused. Foxy was sitting on the ship, near the bow, but he jumped when Mike spoke. The guard frowned when the fox hid something behind his back. Not wanting to upset him, he slowly made his way into the cove.

"Is everything okay?"

"Aye, I just be...thinkin'." the fox mumbled softly.

 

He climbed up the ship. He couldn't see what he was hiding but decided not to try and look. It wasn't his business. He sat next to the animatronic and waited, trying to think of what to say.

"You don't have to go out there. I mean, we want you to but I understand if you need some time to yourself." Mike said.

"Ha, ya be a soft hearted man, lad. But this ol' boy just...needed a moment with his first mate, ya see?" Foxy chuckled sadly.

Mike swallowed. Oh...he glanced over, seeing Mangle's empty head laying on the wood. "I understand."

"She was somethin', Mike. Even when she wasn't all ther, at the end, she was..." Foxy sighed, picking up the empty head. "She was so sad. Th'kids didn't seem to like her that much, and parts of her was always missin'. If she could, she'd cry."

"That would never happen again. She could be repaired and she'd join your show. I'd love to see it. Foxy the Pirate, and his first mate Mangle." Mike smiled when Foxy chuckled.

"Aye, that'd be a sight."

"...there's talk of bringing them back...nothing's official, don't get your hopes up, but she could be back, Foxy." Mike whispered as Foxy gently tucked the white fox's head away. "I'd do everything in my power to   
see all you guys back again."

Foxy didn't say anything. Deciding it was best to leave him alone, Mike got up and dusted himself off. He climbed down the ship when the animatronic followed, though he didn't say anything. Mike didn't either; he understood.

Everyone was huddled around the laptop when they entered. Foxy grumbled under his breath as they walked over. Springtrap was still looking through all the dvd's and Mark was helping him as he explained what happened in each one. Mike snorted when he realized that Chica and Freddy were both pouting off to the side.

"Any of them you think you'd like?" He asked.

"Y-yes, but there's so many..." Springtrap said as he put another one down. "Maybe I should let everyone else go and I'll watch those."

Mark groaned. "Great, so we get to sit through an hour long arguement. Just how I like spending my nights."

"Oh...well, I'll just pick one then." The bunny grabbed one and offered it to the guard.

"I made some pop corn if you guys want some. The kids today mentioned that's what you usually eat at movies right?" Chica offered.

Mike blinked. "Really? Thanks Chica! I'll go grab some, you want any Mark?"

"Yeah grab me some please."

He headed for the kitchen after making sure Mark had the movie going and no one was going to fight. He easily found the popcorn Chica mentioned, putting some butter and salt on it and putting it into two paper bowls. He wondered if Mark wanted more butter, pausing, when he noticed the Marionette.

"Hey. Uh, whatcha doing?" He asked, not sure how to talk to him.

The puppet was up on the shelves. He glanced down at Mike curiously, surprised anyone was speaking to him. "Hello, Michael. I am rearranging. The staff was complaining today about the clutter."

"Oh...well, that's nice of you. Springtrap is picking a movie if you want to join us. Jeremy's not here tonight." He offered.

"I appreciate your offer once again, but I must decline. I am not a social creature, you see. I prefer being in here." He explained softly.

Mike frowned. "Oh, well if you're sure. Um, you don't happen to know if the toys are still working or not do you?"

"The toys? Hmm...a lot of their parts were used for the current group. But it would not be impossible to get them going again, since Jeremy is so talented in fixing them." The Marionette frowned. "Why the curiousity, Michael?"

"Well, the manager called to tell me they might be back. They're considering bringing them back if the show with Golden Freddy and Springtrap go well."

The puppet made a noise, thinking. "It would be nice to have them all back...It always feels wrong not having us all together."

"So, what did...you do at the old place? I've never heard anything...Jeremy said you'd give him visions, and..."

"Visions?" The puppet frowned. "I was in my box in the prize corner. I'd jump out at children and give them prizes. Unfortunately I was sent away with the toys when we moved, but someone brought me into the   
kitchen one day. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, well, I was curious. I...I might've seen the old place...through a nightmare? And I guess since Jeremy mentioned visions..." Mike sighed. He sounded insane.

"I have not given anyone any. Though..."

The Marionette trailed off. He looked to be thinking hard. Deciding that it was best to leave his insane ramblings there, Mike grabbed the popcorn and headed for the door. "Sorry to put that all on you. I'll see you soon?"

He quickly left, sighing in relief. How stupid of him...He shouldn't keep throwing around what was happening until he understood it. Deciding to shrug it off for now, he handed Mark his bowl and finished the rest of the movie.

xxxxxxx

The pain was indescribable.

Everything blurred together as he opened his eyes. A rising in his throat loomed, but he swallowed it down. The lights were too bright, it made the blurring worse. Finally the lights turned off and a man in a surgical mask appeared over his face.

"Glad to see you awake, young man. We'd almost lost you quite a few times."

He only groaned in response. A nurse was suddenly there, helping him, as he leaned over the edge of the bed and threw up into a bucket. She helped him take sips of water to clean his throat and parch his sudden thirst before he was laid down again.

"W-wha...wh'happen...?"

The man returned into his field of view. "I need you to take a deep breath. You've been asleep for a long time. You had a few rough surgeries. You've been through a lot."

An unfamiliar surge of anger went through him. "What the fuck happened??"

"You were attacked...by a malfunctioning robot at your job. I'm not surprised you don't remember, you were deep in shock by the time you arrived here."

Attacked...? His mind felt slow, muddled, as he laid there. "M'I okay?"

"You'll be fine, son. You're very lucky to be alive. The scars are healing, you've been in a coma for about three months now. If you think you can handle it, I can let you look."

Three months? A rush of thoughts overcame him, overwhelming as he began breathing hard. He'd no longer had a place to live, all the bills, the bills for a place like this, that stupid fucking job he should've quit from, did his parents know what happened, was there anyone here to see him, why wasn't it anyone else but the doctor?

"Let me see." He said far too calmly for the storm in his head.

It took a moment. The nurse came over with a mirror, hesitating before letting him use a tired, shaking hand to grab it. He was laid back, and it was struggle not drop it on his face. Dark, tired green eyes with dark bags under them, his skin was unhealthily pale, and then he saw the scars. They were bright, ugly and reddish. His hair had been shaved for surgery, making them that much more obvious.

And then it shifted. He was laying in the hospital bed at night, silently staring at the ceiling. It was dark, except for the window. Moonlight drifted in, from a moon that looked like something had taken a bite from it. He almost laughed hysterically at the thought.

He clutched at the two rose's he'd been sent as voices came through the door. It took two weeks before he'd seen his parents. And now he could hear his mom out there, hissing and spitting about how they could possibly raise him, have time for him, now that he was broken. How his future was gone if he couldn't form memories or keep the ones he had. An empty hollowness entered his chest as he ran his thumb over the get well card again and again, the name falling from his lips as he tried so hard to put a face to the name 'Smith'.

In three different places, three different men woke up. Two shocked at seeing a memory not theirs, and the third feeling sickened to again remember at all.

xxxxxx

He really hated the day shift. Especially after a horrible night he'd had. Sighing, Jeremy came into work early, know he had less than two weeks to get Springtrap finished and running perfectly. A part of him didn't care if the robot never worked again, but another was excited to show off what he could do. He'd completely remade a thirty year old animatronic; he still knew his shit and they'd all see that.

"Ahoy, Jeremy!" Foxy greeted, hopping over from the cove. "Ya be early."

"I got a lot of shit to do, so I'd really appreciate it if you assholes didn't fuck up today okay?" He grumbled.

"A'course! I be helpin' ya today, I promise-"

Jeremy hissed as he ran into a table, knocking his hip into the wood rather hard. His fake leg hit at an angle, slipping out from under him. His vision went dizzy as Foxy grabbed him a bit too tightly, hoisting him back to his feet. Apart of him wanted to hiss not to touch him, but the damn fox looked so concerned.

"Ya be alright?"

"Fucking great...I love running into obvious shit in the morning." He grumbled.

He stalked towards the back room, ignoring the animatronic as it followed behind him. Golden Freddy was nowhere to be seen, and Springtrap was sleeping on the table. He unfortunately woke up once Jeremy came in, looking excited as he sat up but then frowned.

"You're not walking right?"

"Glad you're so fucking observant." He hissed as he grabbed his toolbox. "Lay back down, we have a lot of work to get done."

"Jeremy, lad, ya be walkin' crooked. Ya should stop and take a look." Foxy cut in.

Springtrap nodded until his ears threatened to fall off his head. "You weren't walking like that yesterday..."

Sighing, the blond put the toolbox down and kneeled down. He frowned; the prosthetic wasn't put on right. He sighed again, removing it before putting it on again. He must've fucked it up this morning in his rush. He stood up, testing it out. At least now he didn't feel like he was about to fall into everything.

"...thanks." He muttered.

Foxy smiled. "Ya be a brave one. When Bonnie lost his arm, poor boy was a wreck. But ya are already workin' again."

"I kinda have to..." Jeremy said, frowning.

"Ya don't. We woulda helped ya if ye be needin' more time."

He snorted. "Well I don't need more time. I need to get working so rustbucket here can get back into the show."

"How long do you think before I'm working? Can I be in the show next week? Do I get new fur?" Springtrap went on, fidgiting on the table. "Will I be cute enough? What if the kids don't like me?"

The fuck had this come from? He glanced over at Foxy, annoyed, as the pirate shrugged. Hadn't Mike mentioned Foxy pulled this crap too before he came back? Why were they all so self conscious, they were robots. He huffed, not really good at dealing with his own emotions much less a robot that had tried to kill him.

"You ever see what Foxy looked like before I fixed him?" He asked as he pulled out Springtrap's new outter shell.

The bunny frowned. "No?"

"He was a mess. Holes everywhere, broken screws, oil was clogged and old and he had no coverings on his legs." Foxy gave him a look but he ignored it. "Sound familiar?"

"...did you pull pieces of someone outta him too?" Springtrap asked curiously.

"Anyway," Jeremy went on loudly, not wanting to remember that process at all. "Foxy's great in the show now. The kids like him. You have nothing to worry about. If I can make this asshole that popular, you'll be fine."

It was baffling that the animatronic found any comfort in that. But Springtrap nodded, humming a song as Jeremy began putting him back together. Foxy tried to help, carrying the heavier parts over when the engineer needed them, one time roughly grabbed his head before he clunked it again a sharp piece of Springtrap's endoskeleton. Sometimes he found his hands in the wrong spots, either bumping into something or not being close enough. It was frustrating.

"Feet are done, arms and hands done, calves are done..." Jeremy pulled away, wiping the oil and grease on his hands on a rag. "Everything feel okay?"

Springtrap hopped off the table, taking a few steps around. Foxy had long since headed for the cove to look after the kids, leaving them alone. The gold bunny walked in a few circles before beaming.  
"Much better!"

"Good...the new voicebox sounds better too..." Jeremy got up and stretched, yawning. "I'm gonna get a drink before we finish up. Don't mess anything up, okay?"

"I won't!"

He left the room, hearing Springtrap already pulling at pieces. He seriously felt more like a babysitter than an engineer. Rolling his eyes, he headed for the kitchen. Some blond waitress was at the register and he had a feeling he knew her from somewhere or something was familiar about her, but shrugged it off as he asked for a pizza and a drink. She gave him a look but sent his order through without bitching.

Smith...wasn't that the girl that nearly got killed from Freddy because she'd been an asshole to Mike? But there was something else about the name that began itching at his brain. Whatever, if it wasn't there, then it wasn't important. It'd been his philosophy for years and had gotten him this far.

"Newbie, what're you doing standing around? Shouldn't you be getting to work?"

"Shut the fuck up, you-"

Jeremy turned, scowling and ready to snap only to find no one there. He stilled, eyes looking around. He knew that voice...and he knew he'd just heard it. But he was alone. The waitresses were walking around him as he stood there, some giving him an odd look. Was he finally going insane?

"Come on, newbie, let me show ya around. If you're really desperate, I'll show ya the best place to hide out for the night. When I fuck up the music box, it's where I go running like a huge bitch."

There was no one there. He was alone, it'd been over six years. He felt something rattling in his chest before realizing he was breathing too hard. He quickly grabbed his food and drink before heading to a nearby table empty of kids. He watched the band sing and play on stage as he ate. He felt exhausted.

"Hey there you are. Been working on Springtrap?"

He glanced up as Mark sat next to him. "Yeah...he's almost done. Likely have to start programming the show into him tomorrow."

"Wow, you're fast...you okay? You look tired." The guard frowned, seeing the bags under his eyes.

"Fine, just...didn't get a lot of sleep." Jeremy mumbled.

"I bet. You've been working your ass off."

That was an understatement but he just nodded. "Almost done though..."

"I can come in with you. I came in early cuz I was hungry. I forgot though that Chica doesn't cook during the day." The brunette sighed.

"Go get something and follow me in then. Though I don't know why you'd wanna hang around the rustbucket."

"You should stop calling him that...he was pretty sensitive about it when I talked to him." Mark frowned, getting up to get something to eat.

Jeremy gave him a look. "He doesn't like it, he can tell it to my left leg...oh wait."

The guard looked uncomfortable, not sure what to say. The blond sighed; he knew Mike would've made a snappy remark. Would've rolled with it and not made it weird. With a nervous chuckle, the younger man left for the order window as Jeremy finished his pizza and headed back into the back room.

"What you need to learn is not giving a fuck about any of these losers. This place doesn't care about you at all, newbie. There's a reason you're told over the phone you'll likely die. I've worked with this place for fifteen years, and nothing ever changes."

But hadn't it? Jeremy shoved his way into the back room, ignoring the gold bunny as he quickly pretended he hadn't been pulling on things he shouldn't have. He had something of a life again. He had friends. The robots that had hunted him liked him apparently, or enough to look out for his crippled ass. He wasn't alone anymore. It'd taken six years after waking up very alone in a hospital bed, but he wasn't.

"Jeremy?"

He jumped when Springtrap prodded at him. "Huh? Let's get your pelvis on next, then we'll get your chest on and finish the smaller parts."

The bunny nodded but kept staring at him. The blond ignored it. No hallucinations about someone he barely remembered was going to get to him. He needed to finish working and show the assholes here he could do his job.

"Hey Springtrap. Wow, he's looking nice." Mark said as he came in, nibbling on a pizza slice. "He gonna get fur?"

"Probably. They're ordering his and Goldie's shit together to make sure it matches. But I'm not the one attaching it, someone else is." Jeremy explained as he got the pelvis shell into place. "But that gives me time to work on Gold asshole too, since his endoskeleton needs work."

"You're not putting my fur on??" Springtrap looked alarmed.

"I don't know fur. I barely did Foxy's. And the company hired someone since you guys are 'vintage'." He shrugged.

The bunny frowned, not liking that answer. "But...I don't want someone else to work on me."

"Well too bad it's not up to us." Jeremy argued.

"No, no no!" Springtrap folded his arms, shaking his head. "I won't let them."

"Mm. Let me know how that goes for you." The engineer mumbled as he snapped the shell together. "Get up and see if this stays on."

The robot sighed irritably but did so. He wiggled slightly, taking a few steps, before nodding. Jeremy nodded as well. All he had left then was programming whatever Springtrap needed for the show into him, and then to work on Golden Freddy. Taking in a deep breath, he sat himself down on the ground, leaning against the shelves.

"Wake me when the place is closing."

"Wha...Jeremy don't sleep in here. Go home." Mark argued, hands on his hips.

Jeremy gave him a look. "I'm not going home only to have to come back in a few hours. Driving isn't exactly something I'm good at anymore."

He motioned to his face as he laid himself down. He heard Mark make a noise but after a few seconds of hesitating, the guard left with a grumble, and by the clunking footsteps, Springtrap was moving around the room. It made him nervous; he never should leave himself helpless like this around them no matter how close they were, but after a few minutes, he felt the bunny putting an extra table cloth on him.

What an idiot, he thought as he snuggled into it.


	4. Can You See the Death In My Eyes

_"Oh, you're new?"_

_He was looking at a man, no, boy, who'd been hired to replace him. He had freckles all over his face, red hair and bright blue eyes. He was a bit chubby, and he worried briefly if he'd be able to handle what was about to happen to him. In all good consciousness, he couldn't leave the new guy to just phone calls._

_"Y-yeah, hi. I'm Fritz."_

_What an odd name. But he offered his hand anyway. "Hey, I'm Jeremy. You're taking my shift."_

_Wait...Jeremy? He was seeing through Jeremy's eyes?? Why? How? How was he seeing what Mike could only assume were memories? He wondered if Jeremy knew somehow, but that seemed silly._

_"Oh, sorry!" Fritz looked nervous._

_"Nah, don't worry about it. The night shift sucks." Jeremy said. His voice sounded different, whether from being in the body itself or because Jeremy was younger at the time. "Actually, that's why I'm here. You need to be really careful, okay? I'm sure you've heard all the shit going down here, but this job is really dangerous."_

_Fritz looked confused, but nodded. "Okay...I'll be careful."_

_"Don't leave your seat. Make sure the Freddy head is secure. Whatever you do, don't let the music box wind down."_

_He saw confusion and alarm in the boy's eyes. And something else. But before Mike could begin to comprehend what emotion it could be, adoration, respect, or something else, the setting faded, and the head guard was suddenly in his own bed._

He had to tell Jeremy. He shouldn't be seeing something so personal, especially of his best friend. Sighing, Mike got up, seeing it was ten at night and he had to work in two hours. Yawnings, he checked his phone, confused when he saw a message from Mark. How did he even get his number?

_'Jeremy's staying at work. Sleeping. Refused to go home.'_

Jeremy...slept at the restaurant? Mike scowled. That idiot...but then again, he likely shouldn't be driving with his eye messed up. He could only imagine how hard it'd be while operating a vehicle. An odd idea came to mind then, but he waved it off for now. There was no way the engineer would go for it anyway...

He got some 'breakfast' going, sitting and watching the news as he ate. The dishes were starting to pile up too, and there was an odd feeling of...discontent he usually didn't have in his apartment. Almost loneliness. Frowning, confused, he shrugged it off for now and headed to work.

Chica was the one to greet him. Apparently waiting for midnight was no longer a thing, but he didn't mind. She instantly perked up at seeing him, having been sweeping the floor. He smiled. He got his bag from his side as she came over.

"Hi Mike! Careful, there's a lot of confetti on the floor. We had some kids come in with it, I guess they were celebrating something."

"Oh, well, do you need any help sweeping?" He asked.

"No, no! Don't worry about it, Mike. Just don't start watching anything without me." She said, shooing him away.

He reluctantly did so. He saw Bonnie sweeping another area near the bathrooms, but Freddy and Foxy were nowhere to be seen. Shrugging, he put his laptop bag down, getting things ready before going to the back room to see where Jeremy was.

He was curled up under a table cloth in the corner. Mike frowned. He didn't want to wake him up...he was obviously exhausted. But he knew Jeremy would be upset if he didn't. Sighing, the guard began to shake him.

"Jeremy, come on. You gotta wake up, I'm assuming you stayed here to get some work done."

The blond groaned irritably, rubbing at his eyes. He missed a few times, making him growl and curse. "Fucking...I told Mark to wake me up."

"Yeah, but he didn't. He texted me you'd be here though." Mike helped him to his feet, careful to not let go before the prosethic was sure to keep him up.

"Whatever. I need the gold bear dickhead, need to start fixing him." Jeremy paused, eyeing him. "You alright? You looked like someone ran over your dog."

"Huh? Oh, yeah...I, I just had another vision...sorta." Mike mumbled.

"Sorta?"

Mike sighed. "I had a vision of someone else's memories...but, well, they were...kinda yours?"

"...mine??" Jeremy looked confused.

"Yeah. I saw you talking to the guy who replaced you on the night shift. Uh, I guess it the night before you...were attacked by Mangle." Mike didn't look at him, not sure how to explain. "You were giving him advice, since you were worried he might die."

Jeremy frowned, thinking. "I...kinda remember that. Yeah, he was a weird guy. Kept following me around until I left. I don't remember his name."

"I don't either. I know you said it, but now it's not there..." Mike frowned as well.

"Maybe...if you're seeing this through my head, then you don't remember cuz I don't. Or something. This whole thing is fucked up." The blond grumbled.

"Yeah..."

They both were taking it well. But Mike guessed after setting some ghosts free into the afterlife, seeing someone else's memories weren't that odd. They both headed for the dining room, Mike excited since he'd brought more movies from home to show everyone.

"I got a few new ones, guys." He said, pulling them from his bag.

"Ya do? Lemme see!" Foxy hopped over a table and grabbed the DVD from his hands. "This be about pirates!"

The guard flushed; he'd forgotten about that. "Oh, yeah...see, their pirates but in space! It's my favorite...I watched it a lot as a kid..."

He paused, frowning. There, of course, was a reason for it being his favorite. But it hurt to remember. So he just went back to his bag, pulling out more.

"Also, there's this one...and, um, this is a sequel to that one you guys really like, with the lions."

"Please don't watch Lion King 2." Jeremy grumbled.

"Nah, we be watchin' this one." Foxy waved the movie around excitedly, showing Chica and Freddy. "It's Mike's favorite after all."

Freddy gave him a look. "Oh, and I'm sure that's your only reason for wanting to watch it?"

"O'course!"

Chica rolled her eyes. "Fine, just give it here. I wanna see what it's about first."

The fox reluctantly did so. Chica looked over the case as Mike got the laptop on, humming something before she opened it. The three animatronics paused as something fell out.

"Were you going to start without me??" Bonnie appeared, looking scorned. "What're you guys looking at?"

"Yeah, what is that? If it's the menu, put it back, it's nothing imporant-" Mike started, stopping when they all looked at him. "...what?"

"You were a cute baby..." Chica said, giggling.

"Look at dem cheeks!" Foxy joined in, laughing as he held his stomach.

Mike blinked, confused. Jeremy rolled his eyes, walking over and grabbing the paper from Chica's hands. "Oh, it's a family picture."

"Huh? Why is that in there...my mom must've tucked it in there."

Mike got up and took the picture from Jeremy. It had him, likely four years old, sitting on his dad's lap. His mom was sitting next to them, laughing at whatever the two were looking at. Mike smiled. He didn't remember this at all, he was too young, but he didn't see pictures like this a lot.

"This is your family?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah...I dunno who took it. This is my mom, obviously, she's the one that's been giving me all the movies. She's the best, she makes some of the best breakfast burritos. I've been wanting to go over there lately just for that. I kinda wanna take her here to meet you all, I know you'd like her." Mike said, grinning.

Chica giggled. "And your dad?"

Mike's mouth audibly clipped shut. The silence was almost deafening as he tried to think of something to say. As he struggled, swallowing as he looked at the picture again, Jeremy cleared his throat.

"We gonna watch it or not?" He asked the robots.

"Of, of course! Chica, get the movie rolling would you? I'll go get the usual." Freddy said, quickly forcing a smile.

"Come on Mike, I need caffine before I get back to work."

The blond man grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the kitchen. Mike obediently followed, sighing once they were in the room and away from everyone else. "Sorry."

"Relax. I know a little something about having disappointing parents." He shrugged. "I kinda know the signs."

"You knew?" Mike gaped at him.

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "You never mention him, you tend to keep away from the parents during the day shift...Just call it a hunch. Anyway, just put it outta your head, Mike. If you don't wanna talk about it, you don't have to."

"Thanks, Jeremy..."

They both got something to drink, taking a moment to let things settle before going back out. With a half assed wave, Jeremy headed for the back room to continue working and Mike took his spot between the four animatronics. He was beyond relieved that none of them said anything as they began playing the movie.

Of course...there was a few moments in the movie that made the whole thing awkward. He remembered watching this movie on repeat for hours, because it gave him a sense of being okay. That things weren't going to end and could get better.

"I pick next!" Chica jumped up immediately once the movie was over.

"You guys pick, I need to use the bathroom." Mike said as he got up.

He did so, washing his hands before he came back. He was about to leave the hall into the dining room when he ran into something fuzzy. He yelped, wincing when Bonnie grabbed his arm to keep him upright.

"Sorry, Mike. I didn't think I'd surprise you." the bunny said, frowning. Mike waved it off. "I...I wanted to say we're sorry for earlier."

The brunette paused. "Oh, don't worry about it. You guys couldn't have known."

"Still...Freddy said we shouldn't bring it up, until you did, but...I was worried. You're a good person, Mike, you don't deserve that."

"Well...how about we go back into the dining room and I tell you a story?" Mike offered, giving a half smile when Bonnie nodded hesitantly.

They returned together, the purple bunny keeping a reassuring hand on Mike's shoulder. They all looked at him when he sighed, hands twisting together. Chica went to step forward, to try and maybe hug him, but Freddy stopped her. He was glad; he liked the hugs but he needed to keep together for this. He hated telling this story.

"So, uh...my dad. My mom tells me he was a great guy. I don't remember him much. You, you saw the picture but my mom says he was really great, always laughing and telling jokes. He asked her out by making her bet if he could make her laugh or smile in ten seconds, she'd go out with him."

"You certainly didn't get that. You're awful at telling jokes." Chica teased softly. Mike snorted.

"Thanks. Anyway, so they had me. Mom was a nurse for awhile, dad was a dentist. Only, something apparently happened to him. I remember them yelling a lot. Shouting. I remember this deep...fear of him leaving us. He threatened it a lot. My mom never told me why they fought, but when I was fifteen, she finally talked about how he'd push her, how he'd be too rough with me...

"So one day, I get a called from class. I think I was...six at the time. Mom was waiting at the office, and I had to sit there with her and the principal as she explained that...that dad had a run in with someone outside the business. They'd stolen a whole six dollars off him and ran off as he bled to death without anyone noticing him out there."

He paused. Maybe that was ironic to them; hadn't how the children died been something similar? But he just sighed, playing with the cuff of his shirt. No one else said anything, letting him gather himself.

"It wasn't...bad. I mean, it was a typical mourning and funeral, and such. It hurt and I had a lot of trouble adjusting after that. Mom did too. But...but the worse part was I kept...seeing him." Mike bit his tongue; he'd refused to ever mention this part to anyone before. And the first people to hear it were robots. "At night, I'd hear footsteps, I'd see him in the corner of my eye...Mom said it was typical for my brain to react like that. I was going through a rough time. But it kept happening, and then one night, he was standing over my bed."

"Did he harm you?" Freddy asked.

Mike shook his head. "He kinda stood there. I stared, and I think I might've screamed because my mom ran in, and he was gone. I always wondered why he was there, if I had just seen things, and if he'd had tried to tell me anything. If he'd try to hurt me. I was a kid, so it left a bit of an...impact on me. I was a bit of a scardy cat up until high school."

"Is that why you always started crying when we peeked into the room?" Bonnie asked.

"...Yeah, sure. We'll blame it on that..."

"Well, I'm glad you could share this with us, Mike." Freddy patted his shoulder reassuringly.

Chica shoved past the bear, hugging Mike tightly enough to make his ribs groan. "Don't worry, Mike. We don't think you're a scardy cat!"

Foxy pushed her away, making the chicken scowl as he thumped a hand on Mike's back. "Th'lass be right! Git that thought outta yer head."

"Thanks..."

xxxxx

Mark grumbled as he set his coffee down on his desk, crushing the sticky note Jeremy had 'kindly' left him from last night. Apparently he wasn't at all grateful that he'd let him sleep in a bit. Asshole. He was going to be working today too, and the guard wanted nothing more than to go back there and kick him out. Moron was going to get sick.

"Mark!"

He yelped, jumping and spinning around. Springtrap tilted his head, looking confused. "Oh..hey there. I see you're all finished."

"Yep! I still need fur, but otherwise I'm done."

"It looks good. Are, uh, are you excited to be in the show?" Mark asked. He had no idea how to converse with the animatronics. He didn't know how Mike and Jeremy did it.

Springtrap nodded so fast it looked like his head might roll off. "Will you be there?"

Him? Why would he want him there?? "Uh, I'll be working but I'll be able to watch."

"Working? Is that what you're doing now? Can I help??" The bunny came into the room, looking around.

"There's not much to do in here. I sit until the kids come in, then I go out and make sure no one kills each other." Mark shrugged.

"Why would they do that?" The bunny asked, aghast.

Mark rolled his eyes. "I don't mean...anyway, if you wanna stay in here, that's fine. But's its cramped enough so you're gonna have to move."

He took his seat once Springtrap moved aside. He yawned and turned on the monitor, no longer full of scratches and cracks in the screen. He barely noticed as he took a sip from his coffee. He began looking through the cameras until he was aware of the bunny leaning far too close over his shoulder.

"....can I help you?" He asked.

"Why do you have to look at all these? What do you do working? Can you see the others?" He rattled off and Mark felt a headache coming.

He sat there until eleven. Springtrap seemed to shoot off questions as soon as he thought of them and while the guard found it annoying, it made the most boring part of his day go by quickly. He mumbled about having to head out and left the gold robot behind, wondering how Mike put up with _all_ of them.

It was busy. He had to pause and remember what day of the week it was. Friday. There were a few kindergardeners that got let out around now, and he knew some pre-schoolers got out at ten on Friday's. Around noon is when middle schoolers came in, most of them either playing hooky with friends but still somehow liked this place, or came in with spoiling parents. At two was the any odd ball high schoolers. He hated that he struggled remembered scapels and arteries that he needed to know for school, but he knew school routines.

Something caught his eye. He frowned, casually circling back. Some kid, maybe thirteen, was trying to sneak around the back of an arcade machine. Sighing, Mark headed over and grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Sorry kid, gotta kick you out now. Tough."

"Wha-Hey! Lemme go, you're not allowed to touch me!" The kid yelled, struggling.

Mark opened his mouth to argue but froze. There was a sudden tension. He quickly released the kid, remembering this feeling too well. He didn't need to look to know that Freddy was staring into his back.

"Fine, calm down. But you have to leave. We can't have kids messing with these machines, they're expensive. It'd take until you graduated from college before you could pay it off."

The kid, dark hair and odd eyes, sneered at him. It seemed...odd for his face. _"Back off kid, you have no idea what you're getting into."_

...What?

Mark rubbed his eyes. The kid's hair was platinum, eyes brown. And he was looking confused, irritated and maybe a little frightened. He quickly cleared his throat.

"Tell you what, you stay away from the arcades and I won't report you. Okay?"

He relaxed. "Okay..."

He ran off. Mike didn't bother looking after him. The fuck had happened to him...no, wait. He sighed. He hadn't been sleeping. He was running off coffee, three cans of red bull, and he'd drank a few two liters last night of something caffinated. He was trying to get through two books a night lately since he was about to take his exams to qualify testing to be a doctor.

Sleep deprivation...and he'd just been bitching about Jeremy. He sighed, feeling like a hypocrite. Whatever. He'd try to get in at least three hours tonight. Rubbing his eyes, he headed for the office to go grab his coffee when he bumped into someone.

They screamed. Mark jerked back, watching a waitress fall, a tray of drinks spilling all over her. There was a pause, as the situation sunk in. The guard grappled with what to do. Finally his brain caught up and he went to help her up.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking, are you alright??"

He froze up when she glared at him. "You...stupid...fucking incompetent idiot!"

"Uhh...you, you might wanna watch your language, with the kids..." Mark sputtered, stunned.

"Do you even realize what you've done?! I'm soaked! I'm sticky! I have to go home and shower! You've made me lose a day of work, you moron!"

She got up shakily, since the floor was wet. Other waitresses and customers kept a wide brim around them, a few parents looking outraged. Mark knew he'd have to do something; he was a guard. He had to control situations like these.

"Ma'am, please, control yourself. I'll explain to the manager what happened but you have to watch your language." He said.

"I'll show you watching your language, you fucking-"

A mechanical hand grabbed the back of her shirt, easily lifting her from her feet as she let out a squawk. "Uh oh! Sounds like someone needs a time out."

Mark expected it to be Freddy, since the bear was the big boss so to speak. He was stunned when Springtrap grinned, ignoring the mumblings of who he was supposed to be. Near the front doors, Mark saw Lansdale go very pale.

"Let go of me, you ugly rabbit." She snapped.

"Wrong. I am not a rabbit, I am a bunny." He corrected gently. Some kids giggled.

She snarled, legs kicking. Mark froze when she glared at him. "You just wait, I'll follow you home, I'll kill you for this, you stupid piece of shit!"

Springtrap blinked, his cheery smile fading. "That's not nice. You shouldn't threaten Mark."

There was a sudden edge to his voice. Mark gulped, and the waitress stilled suddenly. She looked nervous, shaky. Hadn't Mike dealt with a waitress like this before, and Freddy had threatened her? He got the feeling she hadn't learned her lesson as she reached back to try and detach his hands from her shirt.

"I don't like mean people. Especially when they are mean to people much more important to them." Springtrap went on. His voice was soft so no one else could hear it but them. Mark felt almost like he was the one being threatened. "Aww, don't cry miss. It's not your fault you don't understand. Now, apologize to Mark."

She let out a whine. Mark noticed her collar seemed tighter around her neck, leaving a red imprint. When she didn't say anything, Springtrap shook her almost like a rag doll. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Freddy was watching and looked rather unhappy.

"H-hey, Spring, I think she's learned her lesson. Come on, let's get her down so she can go change." Mark said gently.

"If they don't give a genuine apology then they don't learn their lesson." Springtrap argued childishly.

"I don't think doing this is going to help..." Mark argued back.

"Okay, I'm sorry, just let go." She snapped and tried to kick him.

The gold bunny paused, considering that. "That wasn't very genuine."

Still, he let go. She fell the four feet, landing oddly on her ankles. Mark helped her get her balance. She was trembling under his hands. Clearing his throat, since everyone seemed to be staring at them, he forced a smile.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding. Springtrap here is designed to make sure kids are kept outta trouble. Right, Spring?"

The bunny beamed, nodded. "Yep!"

"Come on, Miss," He glanced at her nametag. "Smith, let's get you to the bathroom. I'll talk with someone to help you."

She didn't answer. He still helped her towards the hall where she pushed him away and hobbled into the female bathroom. Feeling exhausted, Mark leaned against the wall for a moment. He barely moved when Jeremy slapped his shoulder.

"You handled yourself pretty well, newbie." The blond grinned almost evilly. "You realize what this means huh?"

"I'm going to get a raise?" Mark asked dryly.

"Hardly. You, you fuck, have a nice, lovely, possessive animatronic after your ass. You know, like the others with Mike. Means your officially part of the family." He slapped him again.

Mark groaned. "Is that why Foxy follows you everywhere? Cuz you guys are banging?"

Jeremy looked surprised before he laughed. "Wow you're fast with that. Glad you're accepting this so well."

The guard huffed a laugh, running a hand through his hair. He then paused. "You're not really banging Foxy right? I don't really need to worry about Springtrap, do-"

"You're a fucking idiot. Aren't you supposed to be a doctor?" Jeremy rolled his eye. "Now, since you've unleashed him on the populace, go make sure your gold rustbucket behaves."

Jeremy limped back towards the back room. Mark sighed and did so, seeing a huge crowd around Springtrap. He was kneeling down, letting a girl look at his broken ear. Freddy was there too, likely making sure no one was scared of the bunny. Since he wasn't needed, Freddy was a much better babysitter than him, he headed for where Lansdale was dealing with angry parents.

"Can you send another waitress after Miss Smith, she'll need clothes." He said softly. "What can I do?"

"You can start by telling us if that thing is safe." One mom demanded angrily, pointing in Springtrap's direction.

"And what's going to be done about that woman! My children shouldn't have to hear such language. And why are you even hiring people like that?" Another asked.

Mark hesitated, since it wasn't his place to answer. But Lansdale was frozen, thinking, so he decided to take his chances. "Springtrap is perfectly safe. This isn't how we wanted his big reveal to go, but he's been made to look after the children. He reacted like that as he would if anyone threatened a child." That seemed to settle some of them. "Miss Smith will be dealt with. We are very careful in our hiring process, but you must understand that somethings slip through. We will deal with it, and I promise you'll never worry about it again."

A dad frowned. "Where's that Schmidt guy? Have him handle it."

The first mom nodded. "We've never had a problem when he's here."

Well, Mike would be glad to hear that. But Mark felt flustered. He was doing his best here, thank you, and he was already exhausted. What a bunch of ungrateful assholes...

"Mike will handle things, don't worry. Now please, to show our good faith, how about a coupon for free family meal? Four pizzas of any kind, free, the next time you visit?" Lansdale suddenly offered.

They seemed satisifed by that. Mark sighed as the group followed him to get the coupons. He rubbed his eyes, pausing when he noticed one parent hadn't moved. A tall, lanky guy with dark hair was frowning out towards where Freddy, Bonnie and Chica were playing with the children.

"You should follow Mr. Lansdale sir, he'll help you." Mark grumbled.

The man paused, finally glancing at him. He grinned; it was odd, his mouth was too big for his face and it was almost blinding. "You really have no idea what you're getting into do you?"

"Huh?"

"Stupid kid." He was still smiling as he put a hand on Mark's shoulder. It felt too cold. "I always come back."

 


	5. Check the Game Clock

Mark stumbled when he found himself somewhere else. He looked around wildly. There were posters everywhere about a grand reopening, and he recognized Freddy, Chica and Bonnie but they looked really different than what he was used to. They looked shinier...childish. As he looked around he saw Mangle's picture.

Wait...what? Mangle? He walked around some tables and looked into a party room. It was empty. Frowning, the guard eyed the party hats before the camera up in the corner blinked on. The red light blinked on and off as it moved side to side. Well, if this was a Freddy's and someone was at the camera's, he guessed it was a guard.

But where was the guard's office? This place was completely different than his place. Mark frowned and began walking down a long hall. He froze when he heard a clanking noise and Mangle popped out from a vent, dangling down as she hissed out static.

"Holy shit..." He scrambled back, falling against the other wall.

He was shocked when Mangle didn't look at him. She didn't even seem to realize he was there. And then a light began blinking on and off spastically. Mangle gave a hiss and crawled back up into the vent. The brunette was frozen in place. What was going on? Was he dreaming? Where was he?

"Shit, shit, shit!"

Mark jumped. There was a lighted room at the end of the hall that he moved to. Sitting at a desk was the guard he'd been looking for, but they wore a gutted Freddy head on their own. He vaguely remembered Jeremy mentioning this when he worked six years ago. And Mike mentioned visions and nightmares of this place, right?

Well then...he was the next lucky contestant. Mark watched as the guard fumbled with the music box, pressing his thumb into the screen. Curious, the young man walked closer and peered at it. It showed a room with a huge present box. He heard a soft lullaby coming from it.

"Please, you stupid thing..." The guard hissed at it.

"I know that voice...Jeremy?" Mark gaped.

Apparently done with the tablet, Jeremy removed the Freddy head. He looked pale, panicked, with dark bags under his green eyes. His blond hair was bushier, and he obviously lacked the scars from both Mangle and Springtrap. It was weird, seeing the engineer looking so young. Undamaged.

"Why am I here...?" Mark whispered to himself. He had to be seeing this for a reason, right? Why him? Mike usually saw this shit.

He yelped when Jeremy looked at him. His green eyes had darkened to black, and he smiled cruelly as Mark stumbled back against the wall. "Didn't I tell you, kid? You're getting into shit you shouldn't be. You don't realize what you're into."

"Who are you?? How are you doing this?" The guard demanded.

'Jeremy' chuckled, playing with the Freddy head in his lap. "I wouldn't worry about it. See, you need to stop being involved. You're not part of this. I mean, really, you should be thanking me for this! I should just get rid of you, maybe I'll stuff ya into that stupid bunny you seem so fond of. But I'm being generous."

"...what do you want?" Mark whispered.

"I just told you. Ya have hearing problems?" He rolled Jeremy's eyes. "Quit working at Fazbear's. Get on with your life. Otherwise I'm going to leave you as a cute surprise, splattered across the stage. And I don't wanna do that, kid, I'm just trying to finish my shit."

Mark stared at him. His brain was racing. He was disturbed by seeing Jeremy's face talking like that, threatening him, and he felt sick. Somehow, he knew the threat was very real. And very likely.

"And if I do? What're you planning?"

"That's no longer your concern, kid. Either you quit, or you die." The other grinned.

It looked so wrong on Jeremy's younger face. "Even if I did quit, it wouldn't matter. I don't think _you_ understand what you're up against."

The smile slid away. Not-Jeremy frowned, eyes narrowing at him. "Cute. I guess you wanna be the newest headline about the pizzaria hm? Fine then. Have it your way, kid."

"Real macho. Now send me back. I don't think spending my insane visions around people that make me feel nauseous." Mark sneered.

"Ya have guts. I'll get to see just how much when I remove them."

With a blink, Mark found himself jerking awake. It took a moment to realize he was still in the actual pizzaria, laying on the ground in the security office. He groaned. He felt dizzy. He carefully felt his head, feeling a bump on the back left; he had likely passed out and hit something. But it didn't feel like it broke the skin, and he seemed okay.

"Hey, you're up. You were pretty freaked out earlier." Mike greeted, peeking into the room.

"Mike?" When had he gotten here?

The head guard smiled. "Hi. I got called in early since apparently there was an incident with that waitress? But you were kinda comatose, wouldn't talk to anyone and you seemed really scared of something. Me and Jeremy got you in here without anyone noticing."

"Sorry...yeah, I knocked into her. She had...uh, she met Springtrap." He explained softly, rubbing his eyes. "But I had one of those great visions you keep mentioning."

Mike looked surprised as he helped Mark to his feet, getting him into the chair. "A vision? Really??"

"Yeah. They suck, you keep em." Mike snorted. "I...I saw Jeremy. But then he wasn't Jeremy, some other guy was talking to me. Said I should quit or he'll kill me."

"What? And you have no idea who it is??" Mike demanded.

"None. He wore Jeremy's face...I dunno, he said he could kill me and I believe him. But I'm not quitting. I've made it this far, haven't I?" Mark laughed nervously.

"Mark...you know none of us would blame you if you did." Mike leaned against the desk, frowning. "You're a great guard, you've managed to get the others to like you almost instantly. But if someone's targeting you for working here..."

The younger man sighed. "I don't want to though. My pay is crap, but...I like it here. I've been a fan of Freddy's since I was little before it closed. I still have this stupid plush at home that Freddy gave me when he helped me win a game. I don't want to leave, especially if something's still going on here."

"Then you better stick close, okay? To Freddy, Springtrap, Jeremy, anyone."

That seemed a little impossible, since they all had their jobs to do. But Mark appreciated the sentiment. He sighed. "What time is it?"

"Uhh, now it's almost ten. Jeremy and I helped close. I said you were helping Springtrap in the back so Lansdale didn't go looking for you. If you want, we can get you something to eat and send you home. After hearing about what happened, I'd think you'd be exhausted." Mike said.

He was. He slowly got up, head clearing up as Mike helped him get out of the security room. Some of Chica's pizza sounded incredible. And he decided he'd forgo studying tonight. All the caffine and coffee had long since left his body, and he decided it wasn't worth how he'd feel tomorrow.

"Mark, are you okay? Jeremy said you were sick, is it cuz of that rude lady??"

The brunette yelped when Springtrap grabbed him by the shoulders, easily lifting him off his feet to get a look at him. "H-hey, hey! I'm fine, put me down!"

Springtrap ignored him as he examined him. Mark hissed when a cold, metal finger poked at the bump on the back of his head. "You're hurt..."

"I got that falling earlier, I'm okay, please put me down-"

"Was it from when you ran into her?" Springtrap frowned, eyes narrowing. "I can snap her in half..."

"You're not doing anything to anyone, now put me down!" Mark hissed.

"I thought I recognized that screaming..." Freddy walked over, looking confused when he saw Mike awkwardly standing next to the two. "Springtrap, you're going to hurt Mark if you keep holding him like that. Humans bruise easily."

"Look what that lady did to him! I wanna go through with Bonnie's idea." The gold robot argued as he held Mark against him. Mike snorted, trying to hide a smile when his fellow guard glared at him. "You wanted to when it was Mike, it's only fair."

That wiped the smile off Mike's face. "Hey, no. We're not going after the day staff. We're not going after any staff, for that matter. Now come on Spring, put Mark down so he can eat and go home."

Springtrap scowled, glaring at the head guard. "Don't. Call me that."

Silence. Mark shifted uncomfortable, pressed against the hard outter shell. Mike looked shocked. Hadn't he called Springtrap 'Spring' earlier? He hadn't gotten mad then, but he had been dealing with the waitress.

"Uhh, how about you bring me to Chica so I can get something to eat?" Mark offered weakly.

He hated the idea of being carried around, but he wanted to get rid of the sudden tension. Freddy looked ready to jump on the bunny if he made any sudden movements, and Springtrap seemed ready to rip Mike's head off. But the animatronic immediately perked up at the idea, angry forgotten.

"Okay! I wanna watch, Jeremy said I'd have to learn how to make pizza's too."

"I'll, uh, catch up?" Mike said, waving weakly as Springtrap walked off, still clinging to Mark.

"...Why were you upset?" Mark asked softly once they were out of earshot.

The bunny looked surprised. "...only Fredbear calls me Spring. Before Bonnie was made, everyone else called me Bonnie. Then I was Spring Bonnie, or Bunny. But I was always Spring to Fredbear. It doesn't sound good when anyone else says it."

That...made sense. Especially since they were separated for so long. He wondered if the killer ever called him Spring when he was alive...that'd explain the anger. "I see...well, you could just say that. Mike would understand. He just wants to be your friend."

"No, no, no!" He shook his head.

"Okaaay, then...uh, I'll tell him you don't like it?" Mark offered.

"I guess that's okay...Oh! Chica, Mark wants some pizza, will you show me how to make one?"

Mark sighed when he still wasn't put down. It was a weird day, he decided. And it was made ever weirded when he realized the robot that had been possessed by a child killer had just opened up to him. He really, really wanted to go home...

xxxxxxx

Mike was sitting with Bonnie in the office when his phone went off. The two were working with Freddy and Foxy to get the camera in the kitchen fixed, though apparently the Marionette didn't like that. He'd mumbled about privacy before sulking into his music box. But Lansdale said they were going to be inspected by a, well, inspector, and the CEO would visit them to make an announcement. They needed everything perfect.

"Hello?" Jeremy was here, so it couldn't be him. And Mark was likely still held hostage by Springtrap.

_"Mr. Schmidt! It's Mr. Fazbear."_

He paused. The big boss was calling him? "Hello, sir. What can I do for you?"

_"I'm sure you're working hard with the inspection coming up, but since you're our head guard I wanted to talk with you. I'd like for you and Jeremy to go into the storage for me after you pass. Obviously with an A, right?"_

"Of, of course..." Mike laughed nervously, making Bonnie look at him curiously.

_"Good, knew I could count on you. We'll be taking a few things from storage, I have a list. I'll send someone with you two to find what we need. But we have the old stage for the new vintage show, and there's posters. I believe you found some as well in the back room?"_

Posters? The picture of Golden Freddy and Springtrap? He frowned. "Yeah, they were kinda moldy though...you have more?"

 _"Of course. You learn early to never throw anything away."_ The man laughed. _"I'll send a truck. Please don't let Fitzgerald drive."_

Mike's eyes narrowed. It seemed a little...unprofessional to make a crack at Jeremy's disabilities when his restuarant caused it. "I will sir."

_"You're a good man, Mr. Schmidt. Now, next order of business. Lansdale said he couldn't find Toy Foxy when it was brought in with the ship for the Pirate's Cove. I need you to find that for me? It's likely beyond repair, but a few people have been offering to buy the scraps. You know the types, collectors that focus too much on nostalgia."_

His grip on his phone tightened. If he talked to Lansdale, then he obviously knew what Mangle had done to Jeremy. How could he casually bring it up like that? And selling her? Foxy would never allow it. But how could he explain when the man clearly had no idea about what the animatronic really were?

"Well, I'm not sure how to explain, but-Bonnie! Give me back the phone!"

The purple bunny moved away as Mike tried to grab it back. "You're upsetting Mike. Don't talk to him anymore." He said into the phone.

"BONNIE! That's my boss, you're going to get me fired!"

Bonnie ignored him, standing up when Mike jumped to grab the phone from his hands. "He can't fire you, we won't let him. Tell him to stop making you upset."

Mike scowled. "Bonnie, I mean it-"

"Not until you tell him." The animatronic argued.

"That's not how this works!"

"Is it now!"

"Okay, fine, whatever! I'll tell him now give that back before he hangs up and sends the cops here or something." Mike ripped the phone from the bunny's paws once he could, quickly bringing it to his ear. "Sir, I'm really sorry about that-"

_"How are they programmed like that...Lansdale said they were getting too aggressive, but...did Fitzgerald fix them? I've never heard an AI like this before!"_

"Uh....y-yes?" Mike offered weakly.

The man gave a laugh. _"Wow...It reacted so perfectly...and it seems so concerned about you. I can only imagine how they interact with kids...Well, I told you what you needed. Tell Fitzgerald he's a damn hero. I'll see you in a few days."_

He hung up. What was with these people and hanging up on him?? Mike sighed, slumping into his seat. At least the man believed they were just programmed really good...he couldn't imagine what would happen if he learned they were sentient.

"...you didn't tell him." Bonnie mumbled. He looked like he was pouting.

Mike snorted, leaning against the bunny's side. "I think you just got Jeremy a raise."

"I told you its how it works."

"How's the camera coming?" Mike asked, wanting to change the subject. He'd talk with Jeremy about the CEO later.

"They're still looking into it. Freddy's good with machines like this, he'll fix it." Bonnie hesitated. "I'm sorry, Mike. When something happens to you, we all kinda...snap."

The guard frowned. He knew that; he'd seen it himself earlier with Springtrap and Mark. "Nah, it's okay...but you can't let other people know about you guys. If he found out, who knows what he'd do...But it's fine for now."

It was a nice feeling; warm. The idea that they wanted to protect him when so long ago they were actively trying to kill him. He could sit here, leaning against the robot as they sat there together. He smiled.

He sat up when the tablet flickered, showing Freddy's face. The bear backed away as he stared at something on the camera. He'd never seen the camera for the kitchen before obviously. It was weird. Foxy was picking up some wires as Freddy made a final adjustment.

"Told you. I bet he's the one who disabled it in the first place." Bonnie said.

"It's all set, Mike. Foxy and I will be cleaning up the kitchen." Freddy said into the camera.

Mike nodded even though they couldn't see him. The bear and fox began getting out cleaning supplies as the guard got up. "Okay then, let's go see what else needs our attention."

Mark was sitting at a table, eating some pizza. Springtrap was hovering next to him as they talked. Mike was weary about going near them; having the gold bunny snap at him like that had set him on edge. But he forced a smile and wandered over.

"Are you heading home? Otherwise I need to rope you into cleaning."

"Hell no. I'm going home and sleeping." Mark muttered as he stuffed more pizza into his mouth. "I don't have class until noon tomorrow. I won't be in until Monday."

Hm...that made sense. Mike often forgot Mark had classes at college. He nodded. "Okay then. We still have plenty of people, so we should be okay without you."

"The only place that needs cleaning is the security room." Chica chimed in as she came from the stage, a duster in her hand. "And since our head guard is here, I think that should be his job."

Mike chuckled. "I figured I'd clean that. But we still need to clean up the hallways...how are the bathrooms?"

"Don't we have cleaners for this?" Bonnie mumbled.

"Don't be grumpy! Think about it. If the inspector gives us a good grade, then more kids will come in!" Chica said.

The purple bunny perked up at that. "That's true...Okay, I'll get the west hall."

Mark packed up his pizza, scowling when Springtrap helped him to his feet. "I'm okay, really. Jeez. Anyway, I'll see you guys Monday."

Mike waved as he left. He wondered if he should check up on Jeremy; he needed to know what they were doing and about what the CEO was planning. But the blond was still working on Golden Freddy and Springtrap's programming. Golden Freddy was constantly hooked up to a computer now, trying to get all the information needed to be able to perform the current show. Springtrap had even made a bed for the engineer in the back room.

"Here's some cleaner and rags. If you need help reaching there's a ladder but we can help too." Chica said, handing him said items.

"Thanks. I think I'll be able to handle it." Mike took them and headed for the security room. He didn't want someone holding him up to clean something.

There were so many cobwebs. And spiders. Mike scowled at them as they scurried away. He scrubbed at the walls and the desk, grumbling when his arm got stuck between the desk and the wall. His hands were covered in dirt. He also changed the light bulb, making the room much brighter. Good.

It was five before he finished. His arms ached, but the office looked great. Almost new. He sighed, putting away the supplied before heading to the kitchen. The rags needed cleaning and he really wanted to wash his hands.

"Oh, hi. Sorry about the camera." He greeted the puppet when he saw him on the shelves.

The Marionette glanced at him, shaking his head as he grabbed a few packets of salt. "Do not worry about it, Michael. I know you're doing your best to help us."

"Yeah...but the freezer is your area." Mike shrugged. "So, what are you doing with those?"

"It helps keep my box from freezing. Sometimes the hinges won't move from the cold." He explained.

Oh...that had to be frustrating. "You could have Jeremy fix it..."

"I have no intention of interacting with him, Michael. We do not wish to be around each other."

"Well..if you're sure." He understood. The Marionette had come very close to killing Jeremy but it still seemed unreasonable that they couldn't even be near each other.

Jeremy was sitting on the stage when he left the kitchen. He was fiddling with his fake leg, looking deep in thought. Mike was careful as he walked over. He didn't want to scare him. The blond didn't look up until he sat next to him.

"Hey. Goldasshole is almost done. I cleaned up the back room too. I can't wait until this fucking inspection is over, all the waiters are acting like someone shoved a giant stick up their asses."

"Classy as always." Mike teased, grinning. "I can't either. We got the kitchen camera done, and the office is good. Bonnie and Chica were working on the halls. Freddy and Foxy have the kitchen."

Jeremy nodded. "What else? You got that look like something bad is about to be dropped on me that'll piss me off."

"You know me too well...Mr. Fazbear called me. He wants us to go into the storage area and grab some stuff for the vintage show. He, uh...also wanted Mangle so he can sell her off." Mike said softly, not wanting the others to hear.

"Like that asshole fox would let them..." Jeremy frowned, rubbing at his bad eye. "Fuck, this thing keeps hurting...well, getting the shit is no problem. But Mangle won't be going anywhere, Foxy is keeping her to protect her or some shit."

"How is Golden Freddy coming?" Mike asked.

"Well, first you need to start calling him Goldie. That's what the programming is calling him. But he's going okay. His processor is keeping up with the new data, his hard drive is fully functional...He can now fully move too. Once he's unhooked, he's good to go."

"Wow, I can't believe you've done all that already. It's been what? Four weeks?" Mike laughed. "That's impressive, Jer."

Jeremy rolled his eye. "Don't call me that, I much prefer idiot."

"Okay, okay, idiot. Anyway, I had something else I really wanted to ask you about." The guard said.

He felt his face getting warm. That random thought from his apartment came back so suddenly, and he was talking without thinking. It was a stupid idea. Jeremy had no reason to agree, they'd likely both be miserable or uncomfortable. But despite his hands shaking and the odd look Jeremy was giving him, Mike sighed. He'd ask. If he was rejected, he'd get over it. It didn't mean anything.

"You mentioned your apartment was pretty far and you had asshole roommates, right?" Mike asked softly.

"...Mike, are you seriously trying to ask me to move in with you?" Jeremy raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I mean, we both work at the same place. You can't really drive anymore, right? I can help you. N-not that you need it, I know you can handle yourself, but...I dunno, lately I feel kinda lonely at my apartment. And, and I dunno if you have them after all this time but I still...still have nightmares sometimes."

He took in a deep breath. He felt horrible admitting it. He loved his family here. But he did have terrifying nightmares from his first six weeks here. Of the power running out and him hiding under a desk before Freddy dragged him away towards the back room. Of the lit up eyes staring at him through the windows, and Foxy cutting through the doors and skwering him.

Jeremy stared at him hard. Mike swallowed, shifting uncomfortably. "...Yeah. I get them too still."

The guard let out a sigh of relieve he didn't know he'd been holding in. "I...I know my idea is outta nowhere. I mean, it popped into my head earlier and then I was just sprouting it to you."

"You really don't think before you talk do you?" Jeremy snorted. "Lemme think about it."

"Course. Sorry if that was weird..."

"Nah. I'm beginning to realize how much we need to stick together. Being here helped me get over shit I didn't even know I had." The blond whispered, pulling at something on his fake leg. "Sometimes I feel like a huge bitch. Whining about feelings and problems when I can barely recognize them in my head."

"I like hearing about them. I mean, I'm your friend, right? I gotta help you through some stuff. Else I feel useless." Mike teased.

Jeremy laughed. "I guess...anyway, the gold bear dickhead is almost done I think. I'm heading home as soon as he's done. I think I'm going to sleep for twelve fucking hours."

"I'll let Mark know not to bother you." Mike grinned.

The engineer got up, stretching. "Aight, see ya in a few days hopefully."

Mike watched him head into the back room. He sighed, feeling better. They were going to pass the inspection, get Springtrap and Golden Freddy in the show, and convince management not to sell Mangle. He knew it'd work out.

He had to believe that.

 


	6. Here to Tell You All my Tales

Freddy had to admit, he much preferred their new routine.

Each morning, upon opening, the cleaning staff no longer had to look in the back room for any dead bodies or blood that needed bleaching. Instead they pretended to clean what they already had the previous night. When the time came, then they were put into free roaming mode and they'd greet the children that came in from there.

He had missed being able to walk among children. Having them hold his hand and telling stories about their lives. Of seeing their smiles when he brought them their pizza, their tockens. There was no longer hatred and constant anger as he watch the chilren interacting with their parents. There was still weariness but it wasn't something that took them over anymore.

It was always sad to see the children leave at the end of the day. Some of them cried, refusing to leave of their own will. Seeing parents carrying them out always left an uneasy feeling in all of them. But they were happy knowing that it meant Mike would come visit soon. Chica and Bonnie both began helping straighten out the dining room, and Foxy was sneakily trying to head for the back room where Jeremy was either working or sleeping.

"I wanna play night guard again." Chica said. "Think Mike will take my place?"

"I'd rather play it with Mark again. He's funny when he panics." Bonnie shrugged.

The chicken shook her head. "He loses too quickly."

"We'll discuss it when Mike arrives." Freddy said. The two didn't really argue, but they both were very hard headed. Especially when it came to their head guard. "Is the kitchen good? Has anyone been in there?"

"I went in earlier. We need more flour. And some of the pots and pans didn't get cleaned." Bonnie answered.

The bear frowned. The one thing they couldn't do, of course. "I see. Well, the cleaners will have to get to that then."

"OUT!" The three jumped, turning towards the back room. "OUT ALL OF YOU! LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE FOR FIVE GODDAMN MINUTES!!"

The door opened, Foxy rushing out. Golden Freddy followed, leading Springtrap by the paw as the gold bunny resisted. Confused, Freddy quickly ran over. That had been Jeremy, but why was he so upset?

"Is something wrong?"

"The lad got himself a call." Foxy frowned when the door was slammed shut. "Dunno what it be 'bout, but the lad flipped."

"I wonder what about...Do you think he's okay?" Chica asked.

"Let's not bother him. Do rounds, make sure everything is good for the morning. The inspection is only a few days away." Freddy shooed them.

Hesitated for a moment, Springtrap followed Foxy to the office. The others disbanded to make sure everything was ready for the day shift. Alone with the other, Freddy glanced at Golden Freddy.

"Did you hear anything?"

 **"I caught a bit before Jeremy became upset. I believe it was Mark."** The gold robot replied softly. He frowned. **"Spring heard as well. But beyond who had called, I did not hear. He has better ears than I do."**

"I'd rather not ask in front of the others." Freddy mumbled.

**"No...I will ask once he is alone. It may be a good idea, however, go to make sure the boy has not hurt himself."**

Hurt himself? Freddy was confused. He opened his mouth to ask when a loud clattering was heard from inside the room. Something was being thrown across the room, sounding like parts. The two bears listened, tense, before Jeremy gave a loud shout of frustration.

Deciding to forgo his wishes, Freddy knocked on the door. "Mr. Fitzgerald, are you alright?"

No reply. He frowned, tempted to go inside anyway. He could easily break the door down if needed. He jumped back when the door was ripped open, the blond storming out and past the animatronics.

"Sorry bout the mess." He grunted at them before limping out the pizzaria.

Freddy watched him go, even more confused. He went into the back room, seeing many of the heads were on the ground, the spare endoskeleton pushed off the table. He sighed. He suddenly had a very bad feeling. What could Mark tell Jeremy to cause this? And why would Mike be late? What had happened.

"Goldie, call Bonnie. We should clean this up quickly..."

xxxxxx

Mark was pacing when Jeremy arrived. The guard perked up at seeing him, looking pale. He moved aside when he went to the door, not surprised when it was locked. Cursing, he knocked loudly.

"Mike, it's us. Open up."

He leaned against the door, listening. He didn't hear anything inside. No movement whatsoever. He cursed again. He wanted to break the door down, but he knew not only was that a bad idea, it likely wouldn't help their situation.

"You hear anything?" He asked Mark.

"No...it's been silent. I, I could ask the landlord maybe about getting in?" The brunette offered.

"I dunno if they'd let us but okay. Go." Mark nodded and ran off.

Alone, Jeremy sighed. He leaned against the wall, leg throbbing. He wasn't sure how long he stood there, but there was a sudden noise inside the apartment. He quickly knocked again.

"Mike, it's just me right now. Let me in."

The noise stopped. Then there was shuffling, the door being unlocked. Jeremy waited until the door was opened before heading inside. Mike was already heading towards the couch, covered in blankets. Tissue paper was everywhere, a small trash can next to the couch was full. The blond sighed.

"You holding up?"

Mike shot him a look. He was pale, eyes red and puffy. There were tear stains down his face. Obviously not well then. He limped over, taking a seat next to the guard. "You're right, dumb question. But I figured it was better than, 'you okay'."

"....I might've hit you if you asked..." Mike grumbled before blowing his nose.

He waited until the brunette had tossed it towards the trash can. "Like I mentioned before...I've got disappointing parents. So I can't say I feel what you're going through. But you know me and Mark will help you. And you've got an army of creepy fuzzy robots that will help."

He sucked at being reassuring. He knew it when Mike didn't even look at him. They both looked up when there was a knock at the door. Right, Mark...He looked at Mike.

"We can leave if you want...we both wanna stay, do whatever you need us to. But sometimes you're more upset by having people around when you want to be alone than whatever you're going through."

Mike hesitated. He finally nodded. "Please...I, I wanna think on my own for a bit. Sorry..."

"It's okay. But we're a phone call away, alright?" Jeremy said. Mike nodded slowly. "Okay. Do you want me to explain...? I know Bonnie's gonna rip me apart, wanting answers."

"Yeah...please, tell them. I just can't..."

He'd never heard Mike like that. Jeremy swallowed, feeling useless. But he nodded and headed for the door, whispering a 'later' before leaving. Mark was waiting on the other side, still pale. The engineer motioned for them to get moving; he was relieved when the guard did without questioning it.

"He okay...?" Mark asked when they were outside the apartment complex.

"No. His mom just died." Jeremy snorted. He stopped, grabbing some cigarettes and lighting one. "You mind giving me a lift back? Hobbled my ass here. Don't tell Mike or he'll be pissed at me. But he's a mess right now and wants to be alone."

"Course. My car's over here." They began walking towards it. Mark sighed. "I can't say I'm surprised. When he called...I dunno, he's never sounded like that."

Jeremy nodded. "You still good to come in tomorrow? Wednesday is the inspection. This couldn't have happened at a worse time..."

"Dickish thing to say." Mark grumbled.

"Yeah but it's true, isn't it? We have a fucking inspector coming in, and we have to hide our sentient, once ghost possessed robots that once tried to kill us, a robot that had a killer in it and isn't all there now cuz I think he's got some fucked PTSD, a ghost bear thing, and the fact that restaurant is the deathbed to hundreds of guards and kids."

Mark didn't say anything as they got into his car. Once he started it and headed back to Freddy's, he sighed. "...that is pretty fucked up isn't it?"

"It's more than that. But we gotta deal. We have two days to be ready, Mike or no Mike." Jeremy whispered. He hissed and rubbed his bad eye. "Ugh, fucking thing..."

"You should go see an eye doctor if it keeps bothering you...could be nerve damage they missed originally. Might be getting worse." Mark said. He frowned, trying to think of what he knew of eyes. "Eyes aren't my specialty I'm afraid but you really need to."

"After the inspection." Jeremy promised softly, still rubbing it.

They pulled up to the pizzaria, the blond getting out his keys. Mark stopped him. "...do, do you want me to come in with you? To explain?"

"Nah. You go in there, and Springtrap's gonna freak out and you won't be able to leave. I can handle it." Jeremy said.

"If you're sure..."

He headed in, locking up after himself. He saw Freddy straightening some tables before he was noticed. The bear rushed over, looking worried. He wasn't used to seeing that expression. And it was hard to remain untense with the huge animatronic coming at him like that.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Fitzgerald?? Where is Mike?"

Jeremy rolled his eye. "Shit's great. Can you get everyone? I'm not repeating myself."

Freddy nodded. It was weird to have the prideful bear listen so easily. He'd share that with Mike once the head guard felt better. He limped over to the stage, about to hop up on it when Foxy jumped over and grabbed him.

"Lad! Ya rushed off, I was worried I was!" The fox said, looking him over quickly. Jeremy glared at him. "Ya seem okay...How be Mike?"

"I'll explain once Freddy gets everyone. Put me down, you dick."

Foxy did so. Jeremy dusted himself off as he mumbled about touchy robot assholes. He jumped slightly when Chica and Bonnie ran into the room, followed much more slowly by Goldie, Springtrap and Freddy. He paused to see how Goldie was moving; he seemed okay. He didn't see any stutters in his movements.

"Okay listen up assholes. Mike can't come in tonight obviously, and he might not be in for awhile." Bonnie made a noise. Jeremy glared at him, quickly shutting him up. "His...his mom died today. I dunno how. But Mike called Mark and told him, so he called me. He's a real mess right now."

"How awful..." Chica whispered.

"Mike is strong. He'll pull through..." Freddy put his hand on her shoulder. Chica nodded slowly. "But it is tragic. What can we do?"

Jeremy sighed. "Right now Mike wants to be alone...he'll come back to work once he can. For now though, we focus on the inspection. And when he comes back, don't any of you fuckers bring it up. He'll talk about it when he's ready. He just needs us to be there for him."

"Course we shall be!" Foxy said, putting his hook next to his chest. "The lad be needin' us."

"I wish we could go see him..." Bonnie sighed.

Freddy patted his shoulder as well. The bunny looked at him sadly. "Just focus on how we'll take care of him when he returns."

Jeremy noticed Springtrap tilting his head, a frown on his face. He decided not to worry about it now though. The weird bunny wasn't his priority. "People react to grief differently...so he might act like nothing happened or he might be comatose. We won't know until he shows up."

They nodded. The blond sighed; okay then, they needed to just get through until Wednesday. They could do that. They all went on their own way, Jeremy heading for the office. Now that his engineer work was done, he'd play security guard for the night.

xxxxxxx

"Alright, you're both good...How're the songs coming? The performance?"

Springtrap pouted, arms crossed when Jeremy began looking them both over. "We already said we're okay."

"You're just being a brat cuz Mark's out there. Now hush."

Golden Freddy gave the engineer a look that he ignored. Freddy sighed. From the doorway, Foxy rolled his eyes. He'd been watching Jeremy finish them up for a bit, and he still didn't understand the appeal. The human seemed excited, or as excited as Jeremy could be. They were lacking their fur still, but they were going to be shipped out after the inspection. It was obvious everyone was on edge.

"Ye got less than ten minutes 'fore openin'." Foxy said.

Jeremy nodded. "I think we're good. Just get through today. And no going out there bugging people when you're supposed to be in here."

The last bit he said towards Springtrap. Foxy chuckled, looking away when the gold bunny glared towards him. He saw Freddy shaking his head. They all stopped when they heard people talking. They were getting ready to be opened. Freddy quickly left, needing to get on stage with Bonnie and Chica, but Foxy just sighed.

"Go on, get into the cove." Jeremy said, shooing at him.

"But...!"

"No buts. Get out there and go appease the little brats. Go on! You can't stay in here anyway, it's cramped enough with these two."

Foxy grumbled but listened, dragging himself towards the cove. He wasn't even really sure why he didn't want to go. The night felt weird, not having Mike there. And now, it felt wrong to continue like nothing had happened. He knew Bonnie was a mess all night, the bunny refused to leave the office at all last night. And Chica threw herself into working in the kitchen. But for him and Freddy, it wasn't that easy.

The kids would help though, the fox knew. Having them around, telling them stories...Foxy quickly got into position behind the curtain. He'd get too busy to even notice. Nodding to himself, the animatronic got into his usual position as he waited for them to officially open and the kids to arrive.

It was around lunchtime when Foxy noticed an odd man sitting in the back. He was against the wall, sipping a drink, ignoring the kids around him. The parents were avoiding him, leaving a large space around him. Warning bells went off in Foxy's brain. He was too old to be here without a child...

He considered getting Mark. The man was the guard, he should escort him out. Grumbling to himself, he headed over to where he was sitting. Halfway there, Mark seemed to notice as Foxy headed towards the man.

"Excuse me, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. If you're over eighteen, you need a child with you." Mark said.

Foxy glared at the man. He was a bit on the heavier side, chubby and pale. His pale skin had freckles everywhere, and he had oddly bright red hair. He seemed tense as they both stared at him. The fox tried not to feel pleased when he realized the man was panicking.

"Sir?" Mark asked, trying to get his attention.

The red head's grip on his soda tightened. His knuckles turned white. Foxy hid behind Mark slightly; he'd rather not get a face full of liquid. He could only imagine the fit Jeremy would throw if he began spazzing and short circuting.

"Foxy, help me get him up." Mark said, finally sick of the man ignoring him.

"Don't you let that thing touch me!" The man snapped, jumping to his feet.

Mark backed away wearily. He put his hands up passively. "Hey now, okay...just calm down. Let's just go okay?"

"G-get that thing away from me..." The man backed away, into the corner. Foxy scratched his chin with his hook. The man was acting like a lunatic.

"Ya best jus' throw 'em out."

Mark sighed. "I better not get attacked or this week is going to suck..."

He took a step forward, about to grab him and hoist him out of the restaurant. It was that split second that he threw the soda. It bounced off Foxy's head, some of it splattering against it and dripping down on his chest. The animatronic made a yelp-like noise, surprised at the action. He began twitching.

"Oh crap! Uh, hey you! Go get Jeremy, hurry!" Mark yelled to some waiter passing by.

It felt immdiate deja vu. Nothing came together in his head, everything kept blacking out. He felt like he was replay but couldn't see what was being replayed. The only way he knew Jeremy had arrived was when he was turned off; he was just glad no one had gotten hurt this time.

xxxxx

Jeremy rushed out when someone called for him. He saw Foxy spazzing out, a few sparks coming off of him. He froze up briefly; he didn't want to get bit again. He'd promised himself he'd never go near an animatronic when it glitched ever again. But he saw Mark right next to Foxy and ran over, quickly flipping the switch and turning Foxy off.

"You okay?? What happened?" He demanded; he bit back his language since there were already a few crying children at seeing their beloved robot freaking out.

"This guy threw soda on him, he start short circuiting..." Mark explained, pointing to the adult man in the corner. "You want me to get Freddy to move him?"

"...Jeremy?"

The blond scowled and turned. The red haired man was staring at him, eyes wide. "Yeah? You have any idea what you've put on me by doing this?? You know how long it's going to take me to fix him?!"

The man cowered away. "B-but-"

"We have an inspection to get this place up and running and you've fucked us." Jeremy hissed, trying to make sure the parents didn't hear. "It's going to take me all fucking night to get him running again, not counting having his damn fur washed."

"Jeremy, don't you...recognize me?" The man whispered. He looked heart broken. "Maybe...wait, you don't remember me at the hospital either do you? The doctor said you'd have trouble...Jeremy, it's Fritz. Fritz Smith! We...we worked together."

Jeremy froze. The blue eyes, the freckles..."Fritz?"

"Y-yeah! You, you helped me my first, and well, only, night there. Then you got bit...I went to the hospital as soon as possible. I gave you some roses, and a note, but you were really out of it. Kept talking about teeth, and blood..." The red head perked up slightly at being recognized.

"...Mark, get Freddy and Bonnie. We gotta move Foxy." Jeremy said slowly. He felt too stunned to react. "Fritz you....you get your ass in the back so I can either strangle you or talk."

He didn't bother to see if either of them listened. He headed for the back room, dodging around upset parents and kids. He saw Lansdale explaining before he went into the room. He stood still for a moment, trying to think, before Fritz let himself in.

"Who's this? Is he a friend?? Why does he look like that?" Springtrap asked.

Fritz almost screamed, but Golden Freddy put a paw on his mouth. **"I recognize this one...he lasted a night before leaving us."**

"Let him go. He freaked out already and caused Foxy to glitch out." Jeremy lazily waved a hand.

"He what??" Springtrap looked horrified before glaring at the man. "Maybe we should make _him_ glitch."

 **"Humans do not work like that, I'm afraid."** The bear patted his shoulder. Fritz began shaking violently. **"Oh, maybe they do."**

Jeremy sighed, rubbing at his scarred head. "Let him fucking go before I get really pissed off and disassemble you all!"

Golden Freddy did so, looking bored. Fritz immediately dashed away, hiding behind the table. "W-what the hell is going on, why can they t-talk??"

"Quiet, you're not my priortity here." Jeremy muttered as Freddy and Bonnie arrived, carrying Foxy between them.

"We explained to the children that he was hurt. They've mostly calmed down." Freddy said as he put the animatronic on the table. "Will you be able to fix him Mr. Fitzgerald? He has to be working tomorrow."

"Don't rush him. He's been working nonstop for two weeks." Mark cut in, arms crossed.

Jeremy sighed. "He's right though...if Foxy isn't working by tomorrow we're fucked. And I have no fucking idea how to wash out his fur, or get it dry, in time..."

"Oh! What if you removed the fur and made it look like scars?" Springtrap offered, pointing to the marks in his own shell. They'd been plastered but were obviously different shades. "He's a pirate, the children would accept it."

"Doesn't that seem...wrong? Without asking Foxy?" Bonnie frowned.

"Well, you turn him on and ask him then." Jeremy shot back at him.

The purple bunny looked hurt. Freddy sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Let's be calm about this. We cannot turn Foxy on if he is short circuiting. Mr. Fitzgerald understands this better than any of us."

"Thanks." Jeremy said dryly.

"If, if you colored the spot a different shade of red, it looks like faded scars. If you did it otherwise, you could p-potentially scare the kids..." Fritz offered weakly, squeaking when they all looked at him. "S-sorry! I, uh, I'm a graphic designer, and I-"

"It's a temporary solutions. But that doesn't help me with fixing him..." The engineer mumbled to himself, beginning to pace.

"I wanna turn him on...he looks dead." Springtrap whined.

"You turn him on and I'm leaving this fucking place."

Mark put a hand gently on the bunny's arm. "We have to be patient about this, you know how important tomorrow is."

The robot huffed. "Then why can't we punish him in the mean time?? He caused this."

Fritz made a noise similiar to a dying otter. Jeremy sighed. "Ignore him, I'm not ready to deal with him...Okay, everyone, get back to work while I sort out the asshole."

"...will Mike be back in time?" Bonnie asked softly.

"It's best to not expect him. He's dealing with a lot." Freddy replied. Bonnie deflated.

Springtrap perked up slightly. "Wait wait, I have a question. I'm confused, if...if Mike's mother is dead, then....why can't we put her into a suit and fix her?"

The room went instantly silent. Mark jerked his hand away from the bunny. The headache Jeremy was feeling hit full force as he tried not to explode. The robot that nearly killed them, that had disabled him and ruined his life, wanted to shove a dead woman into a suit. And he didn't, apparently, understand death. He felt like a hurnia was about to implode inside his head.

 **"Spring, you know it does not work that way."** Goldie explained softly.

The bunny frowned, head tilting. "But...but it's always worked that way."

"You're talking about children that were violently murdered here!" Freddy snapped, eyes bleeding to black. "Ones that _you_ killed!"

"I didn't! I didn't, I didn't, I was in the room the whole time!" Springtrap argued. He even stomped a foot that promptly dented the tiling. Jeremy wanted to cry; they needed to fix that now too. "I was left alone and no one showed up until I got someone shoved in me."

"That's not what happened and you know it!" Freddy growled. Bonnie held him back from lunging. "And that doesn't even cover what you did only a few months ago! What you did to Mr. Fitzgerald and especially not to Mike!"

 **"Spring could not help any of it, and you know that Freddy."** Goldie jumped in.

Jeremy pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why are we arguing about this now? Can't you have a falling out later, when Mike's here to tell you to stop being idiots?"

Springtrap growled; both humans jumped, having only heard that noise when he'd been hunting them. "You only are being mean because of Mike! Mike's mean, and he's going to leave us alone like they always do!"

"Whoa, hold on!" Mark put his hands up, trying to gently push the two away from each other. Neither budged. "Freddy, deep breaths. Come on, you're the leader, you gotta think with a level head. Tension's are running high right now, we're in a bit of a bind. But you have to remember, Springtrap's been locked up for years. In human terms, he's suffered a huge trauma."

"Nuh uh." Springtrap argued. He glared when Mark ignored him.

"If a human, much less an AI of your level, underwent what he had, there's a lot of things that could've happened to him. He could've repressed it, so it never happened. He could've forced himself to remember it differently than you do. There's endless possiblities, but you have to be rational with him. If you get mad, and he's mad, then nothing gets fixed."

"...you sure you're not a psychiatrist?" Jeremy grumbled.

The gold bunny huffed. "I didn't though!"

 **"Spring, we knew the children died. Do you not recall? We looked at them, before they were put away. The dead do not come back. What happened here was...a horrible exception."** Golden Freddy explained gently.

Bonnie nodded. "There's nothing wrong with you. But you didn't learn that properly. That's all."

"There's plenty wrong. With all of you. Now get the fuck out so I can fix _this_ asshole in order for you all not to be shut down!" Jeremy finally snapped.

Freddy didn't look at all appeased, but he obediently followed Bonnie out. Mark hesitated. He needed to go do his job and probably explain what had happened to management. Jeremy rolled his eyes.

"Newbie, go. I'll handle the rustbucket. And the new asshole."

"If...if you're sure..." Mark said, still hesitating before he left as well.

"...so, so it really was...an expection?" Springtrap asked Goldie weakly.

The bear nodded, an arm around the bunny's shoulders when he looked horrified. **"I am afraid so, Spring. But do not worry. You could not have known..."**

"Springtrap, quit moping and grab my toolbox." Golden Freddy gave him a glare that made Jeremy's hair stand on end. "...please..."

Tools in hand, Jeremy quickly began detaching Foxy's fur and shell to get to his wiring. He cursed loudly when he hit his head against the endoskeleton. "Fuck! You! Get over here and explain what the fuck you're doing here."

Fritz scrambled to his feet. He was sweating nervously and refused to even look at the two gold animatronics. "I, I saw in the news the place was doing well...I dunno, I guess I wanted to see what changed. Maybe the killing stopped...but, but I panicked. I remember Foxy, it's impossible not to remember Foxy, I kept reaching for a flashlight but all I had was a soda and you _know_ what it's like, Jeremy-"

"Calm down. Breathe." Jeremy cut in, seeing him beginning to panic. Fritz did so, taking deep breaths a little too quickly. "I get it. But why the fuck come back?"

"...I saw you...months ago, the news covered you attacked the place. I thought it couldn't be you, but..." Fritz sighed. "Sorry. I wanted to finish what you started. I had some gas cans in the car. But I chickened out."

Springtrap looked confused. "Jeremy tried to attack us?"

**"Not quite. You were still in the room when it happened."**

"Looks, I'll explain what's going on if you help me put him together." The blond said. His hands were shaking. He wished Mike was here, he'd help him through this so he could fix Foxy in time, but he didn't have him.

"I don't know anything about animatronics, Jeremy....I only know how to change their AI."

Golden Freddy scowled. **"You changed our AI. You had all the girls attack you."**

Fritz's face went red. "H-hey, I did not!" Goldie's scowl deepened. "Okay, I did for a little bit. I thought Jeremy was kidding about you trying to kill me! I changed you all back and nearly died. Plus I got fired!"

"Oh how horrible. What an awful way to leave. Much better than my being fired." Jeremy drawled on dryly.

"You weren't fired though..." Springtrap said.

"...one day I'll make you understand sarcasm..."

The red head sighed loudly. "Okay, I'll help you however I can. But I have a few questions for you too."

Jeremy shrugged. "Fine, what?"

"What the fuck happened to Scott and Vincent??"

 


	7. Just Sleep, Just Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings; my shitty handling of grief

Mike didn't hear his phone go off. He was curled up on the couch, dazed and eyes unseeing as he stared at the TV. Something told him something was trying to get his attention, but he couldn't force himself to care. Eventually he grabbed it, seeing the blinking light from the corner of his eye.

_"Hello Mike, it's Mr. Fazbear. I heard what happened, you have my condolences. I hope you'll still be there for the inspection. Or, if nothing else, going to the storage with Jeremy. I know you're in a bad place right now with what's happened, I've been there, but I found throwing myself into work helped. Well, have a good night Mike."_

He threw the phone across the room. What a long winded way of saying 'get back to work'. He gritted his teeth, wiping his eyes on his already damp sleeve. No, he shouldn't cry. Not again. But the tears came anyway and he curled up under his blanket.

Why? Why did this have to happen? He was only twenty-six, his mom was too young to die. He curled up as much as he could, trying to think of something else.

_"Mama?"_

He jumped. Everything seemed very cold all of a sudden. He sat up slowly. He clutched his blanket, realizing he was no longer in his own living room.

"No...no, no, not now!" He yelled, panicking. He couldn't take some stupid visions now when he could barely form a solid thought.

_"What's wrong, little fella? Are you scared? Lookin' for ya mom?"_

Mike tensed up. He gaped up at a unbroken Springtrap; he had no eyes, leaving black gaping holes. And in his mouth he glimpsed a human grinning down at him. He backed away. The huge animatronic followed, head tilting.

_"What's wrong? Don't be scared! Come on, Bonnie decided you're a special winner."_

His hand was taken. Mike hissed as he was pulled along, the metal hand on his tight but didn't hurt. He was so confused. Why was he so short compared to the robot? Springtrap was tall, but this seemed...off. Hell, as they passed tables and through a doorway, everything was taller than him.

_"Look everyone! We have our final winner."_

Mike was stunned. There was only one little girl, hiding away in the corner. Two boys were sitting beside her, like they were shielding her away from something. Another boy was on his own in a corner; he had obvious tear stains on his face and kept wiping at his nose. And Mike had the horrible realization who they were, and what was about to happen to them all.

He wanted to say no. To wake up from whatever this was. Why was he going through it now, when he was already so broken up? He backed away from the man as he pulled out a knife from somewhere. He tried to recall what Foxy had said had happened here, on this day but he was panicking.

_"Don't worry, little fella! It'll be fun."_

Mike tried to run. The man enclosed his cold, metal hand around his arm and pulled him forward. The knife seemed to glow in the poorly lit room as it was shoved towards him. He couldn't help but scream. It pierced through his skin, ripping open his gut. He felt it slide through his diaphram, and then it was dragged down.

His hands grabbed at his stomach. It was hot to the touch, and the blood was sticky. Heavy. He looked down, horrified as he cradled his own intestines in his hands. He fell to his knees, the pain somehow only in the back of his mind as he stared at all the blood. A boy rushed over, trying to press his small hands on the open wound to stop the bleeding.

_'This is how Golden Freddy died...'_ Mike remembered. And it had been Freddy that tried to help. He tried to look at the boy closely. It would be the spirit that possessed Freddy after all. But his vision was blurry. Everything felt so far away. He began coughing, tasting iron on his tongue before things went black.

He woke with a cry on the floor. Mike panted, eyes wide. He looked around wildly, making sure he was home before clutching at his stomach. It wasn't cut open, he was fine, but he still felt a faint memory of the pain. He sobbed, curling up on himself. He wasn't sure how long he laid there. He had once wondered what the children had gone through, but knowing was so much worse.

He had to stop this. Whatever was going on with these visions, he needed to know. And he wouldn't at home. Despite the way his heart felt like it was throbbing in his chest, he needed to go back to his other home. He slowly got up, stumbling around as he tried to find his phone. He found it under the TV stand.

Eleven fifteen. He sighed, getting up. He had enough time to shower, grab something to eat and be on his way. He nodded. He'd had enough lazing around. His mom would've loved to see him working...especially when he got Freddy's to pass an inspection when every other time they'd failed and been closed down.

He rushed through the shower and put on his uniform. With a sigh, making sure he didn't look like he was falling apart at the seams, he got into his car and headed for the pizzaria.

"No no, come on! You call that centered?! Aren't you fuckers supposed to be built with some special power of decore??"

Mike smiled. Jeremy was limping around the dining room as Chica and Bonnie were trying to put up a banner. It had the Freddy's logo on it, and the entire place looked brand new. There weren't any misplaced cups, or streamers and confetti. It was surreal.

"You guys have done a really great job."

They all whipped around to look at him. Jeremy looked the most surprised, and he looked ready to pass out. He hadn't ever looked so exhausted. But before Mike would ask, he was crushed as Bonnie hugged him tightly, making some of his ribs groan in protest.

"Mike! You're back, we missed you so much!" The bunny exclaimed as he spun the guard around. "It's been so lonely without you!"

"Thanks." Jeremy grumbled off to the side.

Chica ran over as well, doing her little bounce. "Mike, we're so glad to see you!"

"Thanks guys." Mike sighed in relief when he was set down. "Things going okay? We ready for tomorrow?"

He noticed that they all instantly dimmed. Jeremy seemed to slump, crossing his arms. Mike noticed he had a lot of cuts and red marks on his face. He frowned. "Okay...what happened?"

"Some friend of Jeremy's dumped soda into Foxy's circuits! He's completely immobile, we can't even turn him on yet." Chica explained angrily. "Jeremy's doing his best, but..."

A friend? Mike was confused. Jeremy sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Some...some guy. Look, later, right now we're getting ready for tomorrow and then I have to go try to fix the fox asshole."

"Anything I can do to help?" Mike asked.

"We're pretty much set, but...you might wanna tell Freddy you're here. He's been a huge prick lately." The engineer mumbled.

"He isn't." Bonnie countered, ears drooping. "Freddy's been at odds with Springtrap is all...he doesn't understand him, plus with the stress of what's been going on..."

And Mike knew too well how badly Freddy handled those kind of emotions. A hand went to the scar on his hip. He sighed and nodded. "I'll go find him...is Mark here?"

"Yeah, he's doing something in the kitchen with the goldbitches. Tell him he better not be making a mess." Jeremy said.

He nodded and headed off. He quickly strolled through the pizza place. He wasn't in the halls, not in the security office...not even in the storage area or bathrooms. Sighing, he rubbed his forehead. Finally he headed to the kitchen. Mark was apparently making something, Springtrap over his shoulder to watch. And the Freddy's were near the freezer, watching the two closely.

"Hey guys." He greeted.

"Mike! Hey, glad you're back." Mark grinned, perking up. "Showing them how to make ice cream pizza. Want some?"

"That sounds...interesting. Sure, I'll have some." He walked forward, feeling weary as Springtrap eyed him. "Uh, so what happened? Jeremy mentioned something happened to Foxy?"

Mark sighed. "Yeah...Foxy noticed some suspicious guy so I tried to kick him. But the dude freaked out. Jeremy was barely able to turn him off, and he's been working on him nonstop."

"But we're trusting the guy who hurt Foxy to be here..." Springtrap grumbled, arms crossed.

"I agree, he doesn't work here. He should be kicked to the authorities." Freddy nodded. "But besides that, we're glad you're back, Mike. It wasn't the same without you."

Mike smiled. It was nice to hear from them all that despite only being gone a few days, they all missed him so much. He leaned against the wall by Freddy as Mark kept making his thing. Finally, he pulled something out from the oven and put ice cream in it, then cherries, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Mike was impressed.

"There. Ice cream pizza." Mark said, cutting it and putting it in bowls. "Wanna give Jeremy his? I doubt he's eaten today."

"Yeah, course. Thanks Mark."

He waved and headed for the back room. He eased in, smile fading when he saw Foxy laid out on the table. His eyes were glazed over, and he looked...dead. He swallowed roughly. No, Foxy was fine he was just emotional.

"Oh, that mine? Thanks." Jeremy walked over, taking his bowl before noticing Mike's expression. "Hey, maybe you shouldn't be in here right now. Foxy's fine, Mike."

"I still can't believe you even care. It lunged at us how many times, trying to take our heads off? Let it rot..."

Mike jerked towards the man speaking, grabbing the front of his shirt without thinking. "Don't you ever say anything like that again, or else Jeremy will have to put _you_ back together."

"W-whoa, okay, sorry!"

He shoved him away, breathing hard. "Who the fuck are you anyway? You realize what you've done?"

"I already gave him the run down when I creamed him, don't worry." Jeremy answered for him. "He's trying to be a big tough guy cuz the animatronics aren't here."

"Oh good, a coward." Mike sneered, aggressively taking a bite of his ice cream.

"H-hey, I'm no coward! Look, the stupid fox tried to kill me before, so I'm sorry that I panicked after the nightmares I had of him!" The red head argued hotly.

Mike snorted. "Yeah, so did I. And he happens to be part of my family."

"Fritz, you keep talking and I'll glue your mouth shut." Jeremy cut in.

Fritz glared but obeyed. Mike went back to his ice cream, watching as Jeremy took a bite before going back to work. The guard grabbed his shirt when he came close to hitting his head, handing a Fazbear bandaid when needed. Jeremy grumbled but didn't say anything else.

"So...I'm hoping Lansdale didn't call you in?" Jeremy said, forcing his voice to remain light.

"No...Mr. Fazbear did though. Said it'd be best to get thrown into work. Or something." Mike sighed. "I don't really remember, I chucked my phone and went back to bed. But I wanted to come in..."

The blond eyed him critically. "Hm...well, whatever. Eat your ice cream."

"Yes mom."

He did so, watching Jeremy as he worked. He was thankful that Fritz stayed quiet in the corner. Whoever he was, Mike instantly didn't like him. What he did to Foxy beside, he wasn't a fan of cowards. Huffing, he finished his ice cream as Freddy and Bonnie came in, the bunny taking the dishes away.

"Any idea, Mr. Fitzgerald?"

"At most, I can get him to work. But he's not going to be able to move around like usual..." Jeremy pulled himself away from the robot. "The fur is clean, should be dried by tomorrow. But unless you can think of something around him moving..."

Freddy frowned and began pacing. Mike tried not to smirk when Fritz quickly hid in the furthest corner. "Foxy used to tell stories...we could make it a story day instead. If we put out a sign to explain for the children..."

"But between stories, he usually moves around. The kids are going to wonder why not today." Mike pointed out.

"Wait...wait..." Jeremy seemed to perk up. "What if...okay, what if we give the gold assholes Foxy's stage? Like, we'll start up storytime like usual, but then we close the area. Give them time to come in, and then they take over? Like, give them a song to sing, or a story or play or something, they're programmed now."

Mike tapped his chin. "Are you sure?? I mean, Springtrap still needs fur."

"The kids have already seen him without fur when he nearly killed the waitress." Fritz made a noise that they all ignored. "We can just call it an upgrade. But this give me more time on Foxy for the inspection, and it'll make the little shits not even notice he's gone."

The guard looked at Freddy. The bear sighed. "I'll run it by the others...are you sure Foxy will be fixed completely by day's end?"

"Hell, I might even have him fixed on time but that's cutting it close." Jeremy said.

"Then I'll let them all know that we have a back up in case Foxy isn't working. Thank you, Mr. Fitzgerald."

He left the room. Mike sighed. "You should've told me this happened...I would've come in."

"You're kinda dealing with some shit. Besides, there's nothing you coulda done." Jeremy shrugged.

The guard cleared his throat awkwardly. "So...you wanna explain who your 'friend' is?"

"Don't remember."

"....I see..." Mike glanced at the red head.

Fritz sighed. "I was the one that replaced Jeremy when he was moved to the day shift. Got fired...Anyway, Jeremy helped me before my shift started by warning me, and I went to see him but he was already in the hospital."

"So you came here....why?" Mike asked.

"Because I thought I should burn this place down since Jeremy was arrested. Or something. I thought. I was going to chicken out though when that thing came at me." He pointed to Foxy.

"Wow, chicken out? Never would've expected that..." Mike said dryly.

Jeremy laughed. "You're sounding like me."

"What is your problem with me??" Fritz demanded hotly.

"My _problem_ is you came in here, thinking you know what's going on when you **don't** , and fuck up everything we've been working on! Oh, you had some nightmares from working here _for a night_? Big fucking whoop cuz I've been here for six weeks before Jeremy broke in. These robots happen to be important to me and you've nearly killed one when I wasn't here to kick your ass!"

Mike jumped when Jeremy pulled him away, breathing hard. "Whoa, calm down. Deep breaths. If you keep that up, all of them are gonna rush the fuck in here."

"They're robots, who cares?! They nearly killed us!" Fritz argued back.

"No, no! Mike, calm down." Jeremy held him back when he struggled. "Come on, this isn't like you. Breathe."

The guard did so. He took in deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He was furious; who did this guy think he was, just coming in here like this? Just because he thought sharing words with Jeremy made them friends? He sighed, gently patting Foxy's snout.

"I...I'm going to go make sure the kitchen's cleaned up." He offered weakly.

"Okay. Get newbie to make you more ice cream. Don't ask Chica, last time Mark asked her she nearly broke the freezer. That fucking puppet went crazy." Jeremy said.

Mike snorted. He wish he'd seen that. But he headed for the door, step quickening when Fritz laughed.

"You use 'newbie' now too? You-"

The door shut. Mike sighed. Great. He was chased out of seeing his best friend because of some cocky, whimpy...brat. He grumbled as he headed for the kitchen, peeking in. Mark was yelling at Springtrap as the gold bunny held the ice cream carton out of the guard's reach. He chuckled. Deciding not to bother them, he instead went for the office.

"There you are! We were hoping you'd come by."

Mike blinked. Bonnie was in the chair, batting Freddy's hand away as the bear reached for the tablet. Chica was sitting on the bunny's other side. She smiled, motioning him over. He did so, looking around the office. It was still clean. No cobwebs or trash anywhere.

"I don't understand why he doesn't just leave...or why we're allowing him to stay." Bonnie sulked. "Jeremy doesn't even seem to like him."

"Ohh, maybe he's waiting until Foxy's back so he can decide how to deal with him?" Chica offered.

Mike chuckled. "You guys...he's not worth it."

"Course he isn't. But let's just say it's not something we will forget." Freddy said.

Well...he couldn't argue against that. He sat on the desk, watching as Bonnie looked through the cameras. He yelped when he was picked up and put into the chair, Bonnie moving Freddy over. He chuckled. This was...relaxing. Sighing, he slowly eased into talking about what would happen tomorrow with the animatronics, feeling better than he had in days.

xxxxxx

It was nerve-wracking, waiting. Mike was sitting in the office, looking through the cameras as they awaited the inspector. Everyone was tense. If they didn't pass, the restaurant would likely be forced to close again. Who knew if they'd reopen this time. He checked on Pirate's Cove, seeing Foxy sitting on his grand ship with the children and telling them all stories. The band was currently getting ready for a show, and staff were running out the pizzaria with huge fake smiles glued on their faces.

"Mike, she's here." Mark peeked into the room. "CEO's here too. Lansdale wants you out there to greet them."

Butterflies went through his stomach. Nervously, the brunette nodded and headed for the entrance. He weaved around running children carefully, pleading to not have any stains on him when he finally made it through.

"Ah, Mike. Glad to see you back." Mr. Fazbear greeted, shaking his hand. "Mike, this is Jill. She'll be our inspector."

Mike smiled at her nervously. She had dirty blond hair tied back and dark eyes. She looked at Mike seriously, shaking his hand as she readied a clipboard. "And you're...?"

"Mike is our Head Guard. We have a day guard as well, Mark is over near the arcade." The CEO explained.

"Hm..." She wrote something down. "Then I'd like a tour before I begin."

Mike followed. Jill took notes as they led her through out the main floor, showing her down the hall to the security office first. "Uh this is my office."

"Small...organized, but oddly tiny the size of your location." She said.

"Something's we're working on, I'm afraid." Mr. Fazbear nodded sadly.

She and the CEO jumped when the doors slammed down; her elbow had nudged the button. Mike chuckled uneasily. "Sorry about that. They're fire proof, and made to withstand...automatic weapons. You know, a safe place in case someone ever broke in."

"Interesting feature. And I've seen the news months ago, are you the same guard that handled the man breaking in?" She asked.

"I, I am." The guard responded.

She nodded and pushed the button again. The CEO gave Mike a confused look before they both followed. She went into the kitchen next, writing down furiously as the chefs did their thing. Mike grabbed her arm when she nearly collided into a waiter. He'd rather not anyone ever experience what he and Mark had with a certain waitress.

"Ah, there they are." Mr. Fazbear perked up when the lights dimmed.

Mike was relieved when they both stopped to watch. Chica waved at him before the routine started, making Jill glance at him curiously. He pretended not to notice as the owner leaned close to her and explained the level of AI the animatronics possessed.

They did two songs. Mike frowned; if there was ever a pause between songs, it usually meant a skit with Foxy. But the fox was still having trouble moving....Jeremy had done his best, but he needed more work. He wanted to groan when Freddy began talking.

"Hey kids! Freddy's got a huge surprise for you!"

"...Mike, did you plan something?" Fazbear asked softly. Jill was staring at him again.

He laughed nervously. "S-sorta...we wanted to show you, since this is the first time you've been here?"

Oh god what were they doing? Kids were yelling excitedly. Freddy was beaming, looking proud and excited and oh dear god he knew what they were doing.

"I'm sure some of you met a very good friend of mine already," His voice had an edge to it that only Mike caught. "But they've been very eager to meet you and get a chance to make you all smile!"

"....Fitzgerald still has another week..." The CEO whispered.

"Did he introduce us?? Hi everyone!"

Springtrap hopped in by Bonnie. He nearly slipped; he'd been having trouble on the way the stage was laminated. But Bonnie helped him up and he was still grinning as some kids giggled. Looking exasperated, Golden Freddy joined on the stage.

**"You ruined the introduction, Spring Bonnie."**

"Oops...sorry Fredbear." Mike saw the CEO make a face. "Ohh, look at them all! Hi there! I'm Spring Bonnie."

Some kids recognized him from before. They were pulling on each other, whispering and grinning. Golden Freddy took his place next to Chica. **"And I am Golden Freddy. I'd prefer it if you all could call me Goldie."**

It was really, really weird, seeing him talking like that. Mike tried not to cringe. After all, Golden Freddy was a child's animatronic and he knew what he was doing. It just...didn't fit after seeing all the odd ghost powers he had.

"If you don't mind, we were going to borrow the stage!"

Jill covered her ears against the way the children began yelling and hollering. The three main band members walked off stage, joining the crowd. Bonnie helped a smaller girl up on his shoulders so she could see. Jill marked something else down.

They did three songs. They tried to stop at one, but kept going when it became clear that the crowd loved them. Springtrap was using Bonnie's guitar, which he played well but it was obvious he wasn't comfortable with it. His actual instrument was likely in storage...Mike made a mental note of that for later.

"They be doin' great." Mike jumped when Foxy slapped a hand on his shoulder. "Ol' bear was bein' a worrier he was."

"Oh my." Jill nearly stepped on the CEO's foot when she jumped back. "I forgot you put free roaming on...this is...Foxy?"

"That I be, lass! Foxy the Pirate." Foxy offered his hook to shake. Mike was stunned when she did so. "If there be 'nythin' this humble cap'in can do, ye tell me. Or me cabin boy Mike."

Mike rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Captain..."

"Well, I have a little boy at home who'd love to meet you, but I'm afraid that'll wait." She said, chuckling as she wrote something down.

"Always been a fan favorite, he has..." Fazbear laughed. "The tour needs to head to Pirate's Cove anyway...I haven't seen it yet."

Jill made a noise at that. "Odd, that you don't oversee your own restaurant before an inspection..." She mumbled icily. "Show us the way, 'cabin boy'."

Mike huffed and did so. The Cove was nearly empty since everyone was watching the golden animatronics. She carefully looked at the ship, the fake beach and water, and nudged an outlet a few arcade machines were plugged into.

"Hmm...a bit too close to the water..." She scribbled. "Not efficiant staff overlooking the area..."

"Ah, to be fair ma'am, we do. But the area's closed when the show goes on. Foxy usually joins in for skits." Mike offered.

She hummed but didn't reply. "Well, that only leaves the back room and bathrooms."

"Uh, follow me..." Mike said.

He had no idea if they were doing well. He assumed his boss didn't either; he looked worried. He knocked on the back room before letting them in. Fazbear mumbled questionly but perked up when he saw Jeremy putting some scraps away.

"Oh hey. How are they doing out there?"

"I can't believe you got them done this early! Mr. Fitzgerald, you're incredible." The CEO gushed, shaking the blond's hand. "This is Jill, our inspector. Miss, this is Jeremy, our engineer."

She eyed him carefully. "Hi. Do you have problems with perspective with your eye? Forgive me, I have to ask."

"...yeah. Mike usually patches me up. Or Foxy." Jeremy snorted.

"The one hand fox robot fixes you up..." She repeated slowly.

"The animatronics are trained in first aid. Just in case." the blond shrugged. "So what can I do for you guys? I was about to make sure that the...the vintage models were doing okay."

Mike hid a smirk, seeing Jeremy struggling over not cursing. "Crowd loved them."

"Of course but that's not what I asked."

Jill began doing rounds, making notes on her clipboard as she went. The two employees watched carefully, especially when the CEO began poking and prodding at the extra endoskeleton.

"I don't like Bonnie's guitar, it's too stiff. I want mine back...oh." Springtrap looked alarmed to see other people.

"Oh...I didn't think they'd be so tall..." Jill said. She eyed the bunny as Golden Freddy walked in, shutting the door behind him.

"Springtr...Spring Bonnie is the tallest." Jeremy mumbled, stumbling slightly.

She moved closer, looking them both over. "Wait...are these original?"

"From our first restaurant." The CEO replied proudly.

They were all surprised when she beamed. "Wow, really? My husband loved you two, he wore you." She pointed to Golden Freddy. "He always whined because you didn't have the right amont of fingers..."

Mike shared a look with Jeremy; the room suddenly felt tense. The CEO seemed nervous. The old tapes said there had been multiple springlock failures...had he survived? Springtrap tilted his head, frowning.

"Wait...d-didn't he w-w-work with s-s-some-s-ssssss-"

"Whoa, calm down there. You probably overworked your voicebox too quickly." Jeremy cut in as Springtrap clutched at his throat. Jill and the CEO backed away. "Calm down."

**"Don't get worked up, Spring."** Golden Freddy patted his shoulder.

"S-sorry. Think a wire came loose." The bunny mumbled sheepishly.

Jeremy sighed. "Well, at least it happened after the show...you guys mind leaving? I need to pop him open."

"No one gets to look at my insides. It's private." Springtrap huffed.

Mike rolled his eyes. "Well, you guys did a great job out there. In a bit, Jeremy and I are going to get some things together. I'll look for your guitar, Springtr...Bonnie."

It was weird not calling him Springtrap. And he'd rather not have a repeat of calling him 'Spring'. The bunny perked up. "Really? Yay! I wanna show Mark!"

"Uh, so you wanna see the bathrooms right?" Mike asked.

"No, I think I have enough." Jill was looking through her notes. "Expect a call in a week."

The CEO saw her out. Mike sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Of course her husband worked here..."

**"He likely died here."** Goldie mumbled.

"Poor bastard...think she'll shut us down?" Jeremy asked as he got Springtrap to lay down.

"Nah, she seemed happy...I doubt he died here. Once you're finished with him, we'll have to get going." Mike said.

"You gotta find my guitar, I miss it, I hope it wasn't thrown away-" Springtrap babbled before Jeremy sighed and grabbed his jaw.

"I have to put my hand in there. Stop talking or I'll switch you off."

Golden Freddy gave the engineer a look. Shaking his head, Mike headed for the door. "I'm going to let Mark know we're leaving. Behave yourselves for him."

**"Do give us more credit than that, Michael."** Goldie mumbled as Springtrap nodded vigirously, making Jeremy yank his hand away.

"Fucking stupid moronic rabbit..."

**"Bunny, Jeremy, not rabbit."**

 

 

 


	8. Keep a Light on Your Side

A large moving truck was waiting out back of the restaurant. Mike looked at it nervously as Jeremy grumbled. He'd didn't recognize the logo, a neon green star or something, and there were two movers to help them.

"Hey guys! Are you ready?" The one with green eyes asked, grinning.

"I think so..."

They both got into the back seat. The driver glanced at them before they began driving. Mike had no idea where the storage was, so he wasn't sure how far it was. Jeremy was still grumbling as the he stared out the window and the two movers were talking among themselves.

It was half an hour before they arrived to a huge warehouse. Jeremy sighed. The four of them piled out and Mike opened the door using the key Mr. Fazbear had given him. He stepped inside, not sure what he was going to see.

"It's huge..." The green eyed mover whispered, pulling on his partner's arm. "Oooh, look at that!"

"Don't be a moron, we're on duty." The other rolled his eyes.

"Eh, you might as well. It might take awhile before we find what we need." Mike offered, chuckling. "We'll holler, okay?"

"Yay! Come on, let's go!"

"Stop pulling on me, dammit!"

Mike watched them disappear before looking around again. There were stacks of crates upon crates. Boxes and totes everywhere, filled to the brim. Broken props, extra pieces of endoskeletons, posters, paperwork, birthday supplies...

"Most of the shit should be back here..." Jeremy began limping off. Mike followed. "Promise me this'll go quick. I'm about to pass out."

"Even if it doesn't, I'll send you home." The guard offered.

They went down one of the rows. Mike looked around in amazement. It was stale in here, and dusty and dry, but it was in better shape than he'd imagined. Finally they reached a corner, and it was obvious that this was from the first restaurant. The color scheme was different, gold and white and black.

"Wow, look at these...1975?" Mike pulled at a few posters. "Wow, this one is from 1963. How far back did this place go?"

"Stop your mystery investigation and help me look." Jeremy mumbled.

He promptly tripped over a loose crack board. Mike grabbed his arm, wincing. "You okay?"

"Owww....yeah, moved too fast."

The guard helped him get balanced. Slowly, Jeremy moved over to the back and began riffling through the items. Mike followed, going through a different crate. He took out the posters as he found them, and as they looked around, easily found the old stage they needed. All that was left then was Springtrap's guitar. Jeremy and Mike split up, trying to find it. Mike searched through old boxes, along the shelves that lined the place, even up at the ceiling in case it was suspended. He sighed; maybe the guitar had been thrown away?

He hummed as he looked around. Even if they weren't finding what they needed, it was amazing all the stuff back here. He was surprised when he saw different posters; these were for 'The NEW Face of Fun!' and he had trouble recognizing Freddy, Bonnie and Chica. They looked...different.

“Are these the toys?” He wondered aloud.

“ _Hello?”_

Mike jumped, dropping everything. He whipped around, eyes wide as he looked around. Nothing moved. It was silent again. Tense, the guard slowly left and headed down the aisle. He slowly peeked around, scowling when he couldn't see anything.

“ _Hi!”_

He wasn't imagining it. Mike tried to follow the noise, going through aisles and aisles, but not finding anything. He was considering getting Jeremy when something fell on him. He yelped, scrambling away.

The light blue had darkened under the dirt, rust and grim. Most of the plastic shell was cracked, revealing what was left of the endoskeleton. Mike reached out, trying to wipe away the dirt where the face had been. It was hollowed out, leaving only the lower jaw and wires. Mike frowned.

“You were Blu, huh?” He whispered. “Bonnie said you would hate being dirty...”

“B-B-B-Bonnieeeee.....eeeeeee.....?”

Mike tensed, eyes wide. Blu didn't move, the toy animatronic was very much off. He looked up to where the bunny had fallen. He tried not to scream as the old Toy Freddy peered down at him. Its eyes were gone, leaving black hollowed out spots, and it was missing its lower jaw. The cracks were worse on him, but he could apparently turn on.

“W-W-w-w-wwwelcommeeeee....”

It slumped. Mike stood up slowly. The toy seemed to have used the last of its battery, and was now off. Peeking up on the shelf, he spotted the chica model as well. Her beak was detached, laying next to her, and her cupcake was missing. But Mike remembered there was one in his office; maybe it was hers?

“Where are you? I thought I heard you crying.”

Mike looked at Jeremy, heart racing. “I...heard someone. So I started looking, and...”

He didn't need to explain. Jeremy was staring down at the Toy Bonnie, green eyes distant. Slowly, he looked up and saw the Freddy and the Chica. The blond was unreadable. Mike wondered if he was about to get mad. He got off the shelf and put a hand on his shoulder, not surprised when Jeremy jumped.

“Hey...they're not on.”

“But they spoke to you?” Jeremy asked.

“Freddy did, when I got here. Sounded pretty messed up...” But, he didn't sound like whatever he'd heard before. “But there was something else here.”

“Well, since Mangle's back at the pizzaria and that shitty puppet is there too, I kinda know who it is.” The blond hissed, looking around. “Fucking Balloon Boy, the fuck are you? Huh? Got no one else to help you now.”

“ _Hello!”_

“Yeah, yeah, you little prick.” Jeremy hissed.

“You guys okay? Cuz, you know, talking to the dead robots is a little weird?”

The driver from before peeked around the corner. Now that he was looking, Mike noticed he had a name tag. 'M. Jones'. “Uh, sorry. They active to sound.”

“Really? That's creepy.”

“There you are, you little shit!” Jeremy pulled out a crate. Mike vaguely recognized Balloon Boy from the night Springtrap had shown up; it was burnt though, the plastic black and had huge holes in it. His eyes were also gone. “Don't have anything to say now huh?”

“Wow...are you repairing them?” The other mover arrived. 'G. Free'. “Aww, I like the duck.”

“Chicken.” Both employees corrected.

“Anyway, you guys need that stage right?” Jones asked.

Mike nodded. “Yeah, let's get it into the truck. Jeremy, you mind grabbing the posters?”

“Yeah, leave em.” He mumbled offhandly; he was still glaring at the burnt animatronic.

Moving the stage sucked. Jones could handle it no problem, and seemed to be making up for Mike's slack. And Free was just chattering away as they moved it. Mike was sweating and panting when they were done. He cringed when Free shoved something into his face.

“You were looking for a guitar right? I found this in the back.”

It was a black, mostly grey now, guitar. It definitely was old; it had scratches and nicks, but it was mostly together. Mike perked up. “Wow, thanks.”

“By chance, would you report our asses if we took this? Cuz I think my wife would like it.” Jones held up an old, dusty Chica doll.

Mike blinked. Those were adorable. “Nah, take it. Were there more?”

“Shit ton.”

How eloquent. Mike snorted. “Well, let's get Jeremy so we can get moving.”

The guard went to head back, making a mental note of the dolls because they should bring them back, but nearly ran into Jeremy. He looked ashen, face pale. He was also breathing hard.

“Hey, are you alright?? Did...did they turn on?” Mike asked, lowering his voice.

“No...no, nothing like that. I just...” The engineer struggled, reaching out and gripping Mike's arm tightly. “I hate them. They nearly killed me, that fucking bunny would creep up and stare at me through the mask. I thought for sure he'd see through me. It, I have nightmares still, all the time, but...”

Mike grabbed his shoulders. “You're not insane for not wanting to leave them here.”

“This is your fault! If you and those stupid, stupid robots didn't have to be...” Jeremy shrugged off his grip. He was rubbing at his bad eye again.

“If you want to bring them back, I'll help you.” Mike promised.

Jeremy sighed. He paced, limping worse than before. “....go get them. I might...might as well look. They could have parts for the others if nothing else.”

The two movers got the three animatronics. Mike went to grab Balloon Boy, but Jeremy stopped him. He was ashen again.

“I...checked. There's nothing I can do to fix him.” He whispered.

Oh...Mike felt horrible, looking at the plastic boy. “I see...”

He wondered if Balloon Boy knew. Looking at him, Mike didn't doubt that it was him he'd heard, leading him here. Maybe he knew he couldn't be helped, and he got Mike's attention as a last chance for his friends? But maybe he was trying to make himself feel better. After being so close to the original models, he hating leaving one of them behind.

“I'm insane.” The blond whispered as they got back into the truck.

“I think they're cute. Maybe we should visit Freddy's?” Free said.

“I think we'd be arrested. There's like, an age limit.” Jones responded, grinning.

Hauling the stage into the pizzaria was even harder. They went through the kitchen entrance, and trying to navigate around the smaller doors and off to the cleared spot near the original stage was a pain. Then they got the toys, moving them to the back room.

“This the back room?” Jones asked as he hauled Toy Bonnie.

“Yeah, just shove the door open, it'll stay.” Mike called as he went to grab the guitar and posters.

“Ooh, this is a nice place, look it it all, Michael-WHAT THE HELL?!”

Mike and Jeremy shared a look before they both sighed. Grabbing the stuff, they both ran back to the room. Free was staring in either awe or horror up at Springtrap, who was looking confused.

“Don't mind him, he gets in the way.” Jeremy grumbled. He shoved the guitar in the bunny's direction.

“You got it! Thank you.” Springtrap perked up immediately, hugging his guitar. “Aww, it even has all the nicks...”

“Actually, Mr. Jones found that for you.” Mike offered.

“Thank you! Thank you, thank you. I hate using Bonnie's.”

Jones looked vaguely irritated. “Sure...?”

“Don't mind him. Artificial intelligence.” Mike whispered to them both. “Harmless, really.”

The lie left a bad taste on his tongue. Especially since the gold bunny was eyeing him suspiciously like he usually did. Ignoring it, they got the toys propped up on the table and moved the posters into the storage room.

“Thanks for the help.” Mike said, shaking their hands.

“Nah, it's kinda our job.” Jones mumbled.

“It was fun. Take care of the new duck.” Free added as they left.

“She's a chicken...” Mike sighed.

“Thanks for the doll!”

Once they were gone, Mike rushed back into the room. Springtrap was holding a flashlight for Jeremy as he looked through Toy Freddy, mumbling to himself about things that Mike didn't understand. The guard eyed the Bonnie and Chica. Most of their endoskeletons seemed to be missing.

“I can get them to turn on, but they won't work unless I can get more parts.” Jeremy said. “I remember they took a lot of them for our current assholes.”

“Well, let's get them. I'm sure Freddy knows where more parts are.” The blond looked at him. Mike frowned, confused. “What?”

“Are you sure this is a good idea? We have a lot of shit going on here, Mike. Someone is sending fucked up visions, apparently targeting us _and_ Mark, on top of the fact we're trying to get these assholes ready for _more_ assholes. Can we really add three more?”

“Even if they aren't in the band, they can entertain the kids. I know I'm asking a lot Jeremy, you don't have to rush them. But if you can...” The guard hesitated.

These animatronics had almost killed him. They had no idea what they'd be like. Would they be sentient? Angry? Did spirits possess them too? Mike had no idea. They might still come after them, and they'd have to take them apart again. Maybe this was all a waste of time.

Mike headed for the dining room. Now that there weren't any movers, the band was out, picking up confetti and stray trash the cleaners had missed. Bonnie was trying to fix a chair leg that had been broken, the bunny grumbling as he looked at it.

“You might have to just put something under it. Otherwise a kid might tip it and fall over.” The guard said.

“Are you okay Mike? You look tired.” Chica pipped in. The chicken looked worried; he was still a bit red in the face from moving stuff around.

“I'm okay. Stage was heavier than I thought.”

Freddy patted his shoulder; he tried not to wince. Sometimes the animatronics didn't realize how strong they were. “I wish we could've helped you.”

“Thanks. Well, I actually wanted to show you guys something. We need your help.” Mike said, motioning to the back room.

He led them all there. Springtrap was poking at Toy Chica; he looked oddly focused. Mike could tell the others were shocked. Chica had to shove Freddy and Bonnie aside when they froze in the doorway.

“You....you found them?” She asked.

“In storage. Jeremy's trying to see if he could fix them, but-” Freddy cut him off.

“It's best you don't do that, Mr. Fitzgerald.”

The blond paused, glancing at the bear. “...why?”

“I cannot explain why the toys acted like they did when you worked here. We were disassembled and out of sight. But if the spirits latched on to them as they did us, then they will hurt you. It is best we...leave them.” Freddy explained softly.

“But...” Mike struggled for something to say. Surely they could fix them, and make them understand like he had with these robots?

“You cannot help everyone, Mike.” Bonnie whispered.

Jeremy slammed his wrench down on the table. “Fine, whatever. Then I'm taking them apart for pieces. You assholes need them.”

Mike felt sick. “Cannablizing them?”

“They're robots. It happens all the time. And if they have angry dickhead kids in them, there's no way to fix them. We got rid of the killer.” The engineer hissed.

“But they're still alive!”

“And I want to _stay_ alive! Fucking hell, Mike, you've been through it too. It's bad enough when Springtrap was released!” Said bunny flinched, looking cowed. “I'm retired from fighing for my life, okay?”

“Can't we do something with them where they aren't rotting away?” Mike demanded.

Jeremy growled, running a hand through his hair. “You're going to be a terrible roommate I can already tell.”

Mike stuttered, flushing. “I happen to be a great roommate.”

“Alright lads, best break it up.” Foxy cut in, walking into the room. “It been a long day. Ye need to calm down.”

“How about some movies? It's only eleven, that should pass the time.” Chica offered.

Mike froze. Right...the movies. He swallowed nervously. It was ridiculous. The movies came from his mother, and she was gone, but it was such an obscure link to her. He shouldn't be freaking out like this.

“Or,” Jeremy added loudly, making the brunette jump slightly. “You should go over your new routine. When are the golden assholes gonna come in? How are you gonna add them into your guys's show, with Foxy?”

“That is a good idea. Mike can help us.” Freddy nodded.

“Yeah, come on Mike. You've seen the show so you know what should happen!” Bonnie lifted the guard up despite his protests, dragging him out of the room.

“Don't you ever mention that shit around him again.” Jeremy hissed at the rest of them.

Chica looked almost horrified as the bear nodded. “Don't worry, Mr. Fitzgerald. We'll look after him.”

 


	9. I Still Continue To Function

  Springtrap was nervous as he and Fredbear waited behind the curtain. It was odd; it almost felt like old times. He was holding his guitar, one he didn't have originally and it had been given to him by an employee back in the day, and they were in position on their old stage. It was too familiar.

  Mike had said someone was coming in to watch their show, and to make sure it was ready for the kids to see. It felt too soon. Something kept clawing at his brain, his hard drive, and he was twitchy. Why was this so uncomfortable? Why wasn't he happy to be back in the show, making children smile with his best friend?

  **“Spring, calm down. It's okay.”** Fredbear whispered, holding his shoulder.

  “S-sorry...” The bunny said.

  The bear looked at him, studying him. He tried to stare back. What if Fredbear saw something in him? What if there was still something wrong with him? His friend had tried to explain what had happened the night he was found in the old room, had tried to soften the blow, but the truth was, Springtrap remembered. He remember it all too well.

  The anger, the bitterness, of being left behind and sealed away so easily by that man. Of being stuck with someone he hated, and hearing their voice constantly inside himself. The odd feeling of Jeremy's leg, of it being crushed so easily in his hand, he hadn't known humans were that fragile. The shame when he saw Fredbear standing there, ready to stop him from being a monster. And the joy that he could finally _stop_. To be turned off.

  Why did they fix him?

  **“Spring? We can put this off. If you're not ready...It can wait.”** Fredbear offered.

  Springtrap shook his head. He wasn't going to ruin this for them. Especially not for his friend. “I'm okay! I'm just nervous.”

  **“If you're sure...”**

  They both were forced forward, their programming kicking in as the curtains opened. The pizzaria was empty except for some man in a different purple uniform looking at them critically. Next to him was Mike, a few waiters and waitresses, and someone sitting at a table, watching boredly. Music began playing and Springtrap went into autopilot as they played their show. He glanced at Mike briefly, seeing him grinning widely, but his eyes quickly glanced back at the man in the back.

  “How many songs do they know?” The important man asked Mike.

  “I think Jeremy said eleven? We can always add more.” Mike answered.

  The man nodded. “Good, that's a good start. We'll do a few different shows through out the week, let the kids get adjusted before we add more. Maybe even kinda like a karaoke where they can choose? Hmm...”

  “Uh, Mr. Lansdale, I think we need to know when they'll be playing. You know how the floor gets for the band.” One of the waiters pointed out.

  “Of course, of course...Okay, someone grab the schedule so we can go over it.”

  Springtrap watched them group around a table and talk among themselves. But he looked back over to the man. He was leaning on a hand, looking annoyed at being ignored. When he noticed the bunny looking, he waved.

  Wait...the something he kept forgetting was clawing harder. No, hadn't....there'd been something that happened...Something Jeremy had said, something that weirdo that attacked Foxy...Wait...Wait...

  Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.W _ait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait._

**_Wait._ **

“Hey, hey! Come on Spring, calm down.”

  Had someone turned him off? His optics were dark. They slowly came back on, peering down at Mark as the guard talked. The group talking were still going, but the man in the back was gone. Confused, the bunny looked back at Mark. He seemed pale and was shaking.

  “Wow, you scared me there...I thought I'd com see you and you were spazzing out.”

  He was? He glanced at Fredbear, but the bear was...off? His eyes were black, the glow gone, and he was still. He wanted to prod him, but maybe he just went into shutdown since they weren't needed at the moment?

  “Sorry...”

  Mark chuckled. “Don't worry about it. Are you okay? You seemed pretty far gone...Jeremy gets like that sometimes, but...”

  He trailed off, and the smile faded. Springtrap felt himself panicking. What if Mark was afraid of him? What if he'd done something wrong? Was he defective? What kind of robot began glitching and then couldn't even remember?

  “Did you see? I got my guitar back!”

  He all but shoved the object into the others hands. Mark stumbled slightly, blinking before he looked at it. The animatronic was relieved when he grinned at it, looking the old prop over.

  “Wow...this is old, huh? I don't know anything about instruments I'm afraid but I can tell you took care of it.”

  Liar, liar. It was nicked and scratched. But he appreciated it anyway. “Course I did!”

  “You should rest. There's a chance you're going to be playing today for the kids.” The guard said, handing the guitar back.

  Really? Already? The uneasiness was coming back. “Okay!”

  Mark closed the curtain. The bunny locked his arms, holding his instrument closed, and promptly shut off. He thought nothing of the man from before.

Xxxxxx

  “Okay, since today is Saturday, and it's our busiest day, we'll have the vintage show at two. Then again at five. Mike, I want you here until the two show finished, then you can head home. Make sure you and Mark keep an eye on that yellow rabbit, okay?”

  Mike nodded. “Of course.”

  Lansdale went back to his papers. The guard took that time to glance at the stage. Mark was closing the curtains and walked over to join them. There was more talk, but Mike was only half paying attention. Mark was pale. Had something happened up on stage?

  “Okay, places! We've already got a line outside.” Lansdale said, and everyone dispersed.

  “Anything important?” Mark asked.

  Mike shrugged. “Just when the show will go on. I'll be here until roughly 2:30.” He paused. “You okay? You look shaken up.”

  “Huh? Oh, yeah. Springtrap was just...”

  Mike raised an eyebrow. “Just what? Did he do something?”

  “No, I just...” Mark sighed. “He's showing signs of some serious PTSD, Mike. Like, he froze up and was shaking. Took a bit for me to get him back on track, and then he was overly cheery. I dunno, he's acting like Jeremy when...when you know, you mention that night.”

  “Well, there's nothing we can do about it right now.” Mike said, sighing.

  That was concerning though...if Springtrap froze up during a show or glitched in front of the kids, he couldn't imagine what management would do. Especially since it wasn't something Jeremy could fix.  The brunette sighed as he and Mark got ready, a huge stream of people coming in.

  “I hate Saturdays...” Mark grumbled when they met up a few hours later.

  “Things'll calm down once the show starts.” Mike offered, chuckling.

  As if on cue, the lights dimmed. Kids were looking at the main stage, but instead the vintage one lit up and the curtains opened. Springtrap and Golden Freddy began singing, and all the kids rushed over there. Mike kept a close eye on Springtrap, not seeing him falter or seem to have any problems.

  “He seems to be doing okay.” Mark said.

  Mike nodded. “Yeah...try to keep an eye on him today if you can.”

  The younger man waved as the head guard left. Mike yawned, rubbing at his eyes. He looked forward to a nap before coming in tonight. He felt like he'd pulled some muscles moving that stage...

xxxxx

  “Did you like the show?” Springtrap asked. He sounded giddy and excited.

  Mark chuckled. “Yeah. You guys were really cool.”

  He'd quick snuck behind the curtain after the later show. He'd done as Mike had asked, keeping an eye on the bunny but he'd seemed okay the rest of the day. And now he seemed pretty happy.

  “The kids were so happy...” The bunny sounded content now.

  **“Of course. It's always been our specialty.”** Golden Freddy chuckled.

  “I need to go back out there, but good job on your first day back.” Mark waved and headed out.

  It was still busy. Mark sighed. While he was glad Freddy's was doing so well, it made his job hell. It was full of angry kids, rebellious preteens and asshole parents. And it didn't help that Lansdale was apparently letting the success go to his head, since he kept making Mark move stuff rather than do his actual job.

  “Not a fucking...delivery boy...” Mark grumbled as he hoisted some boxes into the supply closet. “Ow...”

  He rubbed his back. Those things had been heavy. He grumbled, considering grabbing a drink before taking up in the office. Maybe he could grab some pizza before he switched with Mike. Then he could get some pizza from Chica. Nothing against the chefs, but the animatronics made way better pizza.

  He paused in the hallway. He'd seen something from the corner of his eye. His eyes narrowed. With being told in some kind of nightmare, vision, thing, that someone was going to try and kill him, he was a bit on edge. Especially since he was here, alone, and the odds of anyone hearing him over the noise of the children out in the dining room was unlikely...

  “Someone back here? Hello?” He called, trying to be confident. He headed towards the office. “Non-employees aren't allowed back here, I have to ask you to leave.”

  Something laughed. Mark froze instantly. Every hair was on end, and a cold shudder went down his back. It sounded...inhuman. Cold and chilling. Okay, then he wasn't dealing with a person. But what was he dealing with?

  “Are you something that wants to kill me? Cuz I'm really over that...” He said.

  **_“No, no! Nothing of the sort!”_**

  Something ran past from the corner of his eye. He tried to turn and follow it, but there was only an odd stillness. “Okay, glad to hear that...”

  **_“How unfortunate though, that the young man has fallen into such low times as to work here...”_**

  Mark frowned. “I happen to like working here, thanks. Look, whatever you are, please either go away or explain what's going on. I'm on duty.”

  There was that laugh again. It sounded much closer this time. **_“Oh dear, it seems I've upset him! Don't worry young man. I won't be keeping you long!”_**

  Mark scowled. “Well, you kinda already are...”

  **_“Such an attitude...how sad, to see youth so jaded...”_** It laughed again. **_“Ah, but the young man doesn't seem to realize how bad his situation is! Such a ghost, following you and your friends. And yet none of you are even aware...”_**

  A ghost? Mark scowled. “I kinda hate metaphors, so...”

  **_“Is it? Is it a play on words, or am I speaking only truth? The young man is so suspicious. But tell you outright is such a bore...I am sad to admit this is the only excitement we've had in so long...”_**

  We? Was there more than one...whatever this was? The guard sighed, getting into the office and sittind down. “Okay then. What good are you?”

  No response. Mark blinked, confused, but still nothing. Uh oh...had he made it mad? He tensed when he felt something breathing on the back of his neck, heavy and cold. He swallowed. What should he do? Whatever this thing was, it was creeping around without being seen.

  “Sorry. Please go on.” He mumbled.

  The breathing went away almost immediately. **_“The young man is so rude, should we go on? Maybe we should speak to the damage one....Ah, but we're having fun...You see, the visions you're getting are the only hints the ghost give you to figuring out what they want.”_**

  “Okay...but how do we find this ghost? How do we stop it?” Mark asked.

  **_“No no, we've given you a hint. One hint per customer!”_**

  “Then what was the point of talking to me??” He demanded. Stupid paranormal...whatevers. “Ugh, okay whatever.”

  He saw the shadow move again, but still couldn't make out what it was. It seemed to slide under the desk, and he thought he saw glowing eyes peeking at him briefly but they were gone. **_“Such attitutde, such flippantcy! How rude this young man is...”_**

  “So you've said. Look, I have my job to do, so if you could please leave me alone right now? I guess I appreciate your help...” He sighed, rubbing his eyes.

  He could tell when they left. The room felt warmer, less stuffy. He slumped back into his seat. His heart hurt for some reason. What had just happened? Should he tell Jeremy or Mike? He didn't want to add to their pile, they were both dealing with a lot right now, but whatever that was seemed pretty important.

  “Mark? Erm, Mr. Pliers?”

  He jumped when a waitress peeked into the office. “Oh, sorry. What can I do for you?”

  She smiled. “It's okay, I've never been back here before. It used to creep me out...uh, anyway the manager wants you to get back on floor. That weird gold rabbit keeps looking for you, so now all the kids are too...”

  He sighed heavily, making her laugh. “Okay, thanks.”

  He left with her back to the dining room. It was weird, being swarmed with a ton of kids shouting at him. Some parents looked concerned but Springtrap was there immediately, congratulating the children on their expert finding skills.

  It was going to be a long, long day....

xxxxxx

  “That feel okay? Think you can go back to jumping around like a giant asshole?”

  The engineer dodged as Foxy tried to grab him, the fox beaming as he stood up. “I be feelin' better than ever!”

  “Finally...” Jeremy sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Then get back out there before the day's over okay?”

  “Ya should go home, lad. Yer tired.” The animatronic said, looking concerned.

  “I plan on it.” He frowned when Foxy didn't leave. “What?”

  The robot seemed to fidget, but since he had a hook, it was rather hard. “I, I be thinkin'...ya mentioned not fixin' the younger ones?”

  The toys? Jeremy nodded. “I dunno yet. They might try to come after us. I just didn't want them rusting away alone.”

  He mentally cursed at himself. That was way too much information for the stupid robot. Made him look too soft. He began putting his tools away and sighed when the damn fox still didn't leave. “What?”

  “Forgive me, fer askin' too much, lad...but ya be the only one I can be turnin' to...” Foxy was looking ashamed. That was weird. “If, if ya be makin' up yer mind...I be wonderin' bout me first mate...”

  Jeremy froze. “You want me to fix the thing that nearly killed me and ruined my life?”

  “We would all be there, lad! She be me first mate, but I'd never let her hurt ya again. She was hurtin', that day. She wasn't all there, ya see?” Foxy sighed. “Of course, I never make ya do it. Ya went through a lot, lad. But...I figure I'd at least be askin'.”

  “Get out.”

  He tried not to slam his toolbox shut when Foxy finally left. Stupid...fucking ungrateful...He tried to calm himself down. No, he needed to keep his temper no matter how hard it was. If he was going to move in with Mike, he needed to stop blowing up. But it was diffcult, his emotions were such a mess.

  Joys of not having a frontal lobe...

  “Hey, big surprise, you're back here.” Mike peeked into the room, grinning. “You should get an office back here.”

  “I don't think I'm that lucky.” Jeremy snorted.

  Mike chuckled. He removed his hat and sighed; he looked better than earlier but he still seemed tired. Then again, he'd been complaining about his back after the stage. Jeremy hadn't helped, having been grabbing the other shit from storage, but he understood his pain too well.

  “You're such a lightweight.” Jeremy rolled his eye.

  “Wa-hey, come on. I'm not used to that crap.” Mike whined, frowning. “Anyway did Springtrap do okay? Mark mentioned he was acting weird earlier.”

  He shook his head. “Nope, rustbucket didn't come in, and there were no screaming children crying cuz he ate them. So he did good.”

  Mike rolled his eyes, grinning. “You're an asshole. Anyway, I'll go let Mark know I'm here.”

  They both stopped, freezing on the spot when something giggled. It was unlike anything Jeremy had heard before, his skin getting goosebumps. His eye flared up as well, making him rub at it aggressively.

  **_“Ah, look what we found! The damaged one, and the marked one! Much better company than the rude one.”_**

  “...you hear that too right?” Jeremy asked.

  Mike nodded shakily, looking around the room wildly. He was pale. “Y-yeah...”

  Something shifted in the shadows, near the extra heads. Glowing white eyes and a huge white smile stared back at them. It was grinning, too wide and unsettling, as it shifted and leaned against the table. Jeremy noticed long ears, almost like a rabbit but it was all black, and the colors seemed to be melting off of it.

  **_“Don't be so shy! We're only here to help.”_**

  We? Jeremy scowled, staring at the shadowy rabbit. He found he couldn't look directly at his face; something about it made him feel horribly uncomfortable. It stared at both of them, grinning and giggling.

  **_“Such distrust, such jadedness...how tragic_**.” The shadow shifted, peeking out from under the table. **_“We only come to help. We do! We want to help against the ghost that gives you such awful visions.”_**

  “You know what's causing that?” Mike asked.

  Jeremy sighed. “Don't encourage the demonic shadow monster, Mike!”

  “Who else are we going to ask??” The guard demanded hotly.

  **_“We only want to help, we want the ghost gone! Our beautiful home smells so dirty with the ghost wandering around.”_**

  “Aren't you a ghost?” The engineer asked dryly.

  He struggled not to flinch when those white eyes looked over at him. It made his head hurt. **_“I liked you better with both eyes.”_**

  **_“I liked him better with a full brain.”_**

  Jeremy froze, feeling something breathing on him. It was cold, freezing even, and he sensed something looming down on him. He briefly glanced at Mike, the guard's eyes unmoving from whatever it was behind him.

  The black, shadowy rabbit was suddenly leaning close, forcing Jeremy to close his eyes. **_“What's wrong, Mr. Fitzgerald? Is something ever the matter? Are you frightened by us?”_**

  “Hey, leave him alone! Just say whatever you need to help us.” Mike snapped.

  **_“Silly man! Do you not understand? The ghost is after something only the restaurant can give!”_**

**_“We give too many hints to the rude young men.”_ **

  Jeremy finally risked opening his eyes. The bunny was looming over Mike now, grinning its white teeth. Not sure if he should, the blond turned around. Much like the rabbit, a huge shadow was standing over him. Before he looked away, he spotted ears and a top hat, like Freddy.

  “So if we take what he wants first, he'll go away?” Mike asked.

  “I seriously doubt our 'ghost' wants anything you can just take, Mike. That's way too fuckin easy.” Jeremy grumbled.

  **_“The angry man is correct! What our ghosty friend wants is something beyond what you could understand, I'm afraid. We have given you our hint, I think it's time we best be off.”_** The bunny giggled and disappeared into the shadows.

  The bear did as well. Jeremy slumped, feeling tired all of a sudden. “What the fuck was that?”

  “You know, every time I feel like I understand this place, something like that happens...” Mike mumbled.

  Jeremy grinned despite the pounding in his head. “Joys of working at Freddy Fazbear's...”

xxxxxxx


	10. Break My Mind

  Fritz was nervous as he headed into the little cafe. He had never been in this area of town, and the fact that Jeremy had contacted him made his heart race slightly. Maybe they were finally going to catch up? When he'd asked about Scott and Vincent, Jeremy had just...gone silent. He understood, of course, the blond clearly didn't remember. And Fritz didn't want him to feel bad about that, so he'd dropped it.

  And it was good to get away from Schmidt....And the killer robots. And the ghosts. Actually, he decided, he'd rather just not ever return to Freddy Fazbear's...

  “There you are. Thought you stood me up.” Jeremy greeted, sitting in a booth.

  Fritz grinned, taking the seat across from him. “Never.”

  “You might be changing the tone when I show you why you're here.” The engineer lit up a cigarette as a waitress came over. “What you want? They have great shakes here.”

  “Uhh...then I guess a shake will do?”

  Once the waitress was gone, Jeremy sighed. “Okay, so...I negoiated your case to the CEO. Luckily for you, he's been sucking my dick since I got the vintage show going so early. So he decided not to come after you for Foxy.”

  “That's...that's good.” Fritz mumbled.

  “But he decided you're going to pay for something. So....happy fucking birthday or something.”

  He gave him some paper. Uneasy, Fritz took it. He went very pale when he saw the numbers. “I, I can't afford this, I'm barely getting by as is!”

  Jeremy shrugged. “I got it as low as I could. If Mike was there, he coulda gotten you off but he wasn't.”

  Not that Mike would. The Head guard made it obvious how he felt towards him. Fritz scowled, mind racing. He was never going to be able to afford this, not on top of rent. Or his electricity bill. Maybe he could do payments, but even then would cut into his food bill. He slumped into his seat.

  “Look, I couldn't talk him down more but I did mention something....and the big boss did go with it.” Jeremy went on. He glanced around and leaned in close. “As much as you'd hate it, you could come in and work with me.”

  “You...you want me to work there again?” Fritz asked slowly.

  Jeremy shrugged. “You wouldn't be on the nightshift. You'd be in the back with me, fixing them. I said you have some knowledge of programming them since you changed their AI.”

  “....So I could pay this off?” Fritz motioned to the bill.

  “Yeah. I mean, it beats trying to find a way to pay it off on your own. Or finding a job somewhere. This is a sure thing.” Jeremy explained.

  Their shakes came. Fritz hesitantly sipped on his. Jeremy was looking out for him, he realized. Getting him a job, talking down the price despite the hours he worked on Foxy...He sighed. He didn't want to work there. Not again. Despite only lasting a night, he remembered too well how that night had damaged him.

  “Okay....I'll work there.”

  The blond nodded. “I'll warn you, you're gonna have to be careful. I mean, you're not in any danger but the animatronics aren't going to coddle you at all. Especially after what you did to Foxy.”

  Of course. He swallowed nervously and nodded. He could understand that. It would make working there nerve-racking and horrifying, but he had to do it. Jeremy stirred his milkshake and crushed his cigarette in an ashtray.

  “So since most of the memories I have of working at Freddy's back in the day consist of crying, blood or pain, you wanna fill me in a bit? I know Scott's the guy that left phone messages, we found that out recently unfortunately. But I don't remember meeting him.”

  Fritz frowned. “Uh, I met him the one time...at the hospital.”

  Jeremy blinked. “He was there?”

  “Yeah. You had just woken up from your coma, and...” He hesitated. “You were having trouble. Like, rememebering things. Plus your mom didn't want us around, being from the place that did it to you. But Scott showed up with Vincent, tried to leave you flowers and tell you how happy they were that you finally woke up, but...”

  The engineer frowned, looked dazed. “Came to see me, huh...?”

  “Scott was a wreck...he barely recognized me, but Vincent did.”

  “Vincent...?” Jeremy repeated, confused.

  “Yeah...he, he was the guy before you. Went to the dayshift. He explained some things to me while we were there. He went on the dayshift, but some business came up where he was moved again, so they moved you there. I guess you guys were close, I mean, he had a nickname for you.”

  Jeremy made a face. “Nickname...? That sounds, familiar I think...”

  Fritz smiled. “He called you 'newbie'. It was cute.”

  The other went still. His eyes were wide and he seemed far away. Like all the memories were coming together. Fritz's smile faded. He couldn't imagine what it was like, not remembering your own life.

  “....'newbie'...?”

  “Y-yeah...He said he gave you some pointers. He'd come in early in the morning to talk to you...?”

  Jeremy slumped in his seat. “I....I remember...”

  “Great! He, he really wanted to see you, you know. I mean, I can't speak for him since I'm awful at these things, but I always thought he had a bit of a crush on ya, with how he talked about you there. Plus, I mean, he said he'd been there before when you first got bit but-” Fritz stopped when Jeremy waved a hand.

  “Whoa, slow down. Brain is melting...” Jeremy mumbled.

  “Sorry.”

  The other rubbed at the scars on his head. “He came and saw me...? Really?”

  “We all did.” Fritz frowned.

  “....I, I need to get back to work...” Jeremy mumbled, slowly standing up. He nearly slipped when his fake leg snagged something under the table. “Uh, come in tomorrow. Around noon.”

  Fritz watched him walk off. He numbly finished off his shake, sighing. Well then. He had a job, but he was pretty sure that he'd caused Jeremy a mental breakdown. He felt like a dick. Then again, had Jeremy...thought no one had been there in the hospital to see him? Did he wake up alone? The thought made him feel ill.

  “Oh, he paid for yours so you're good to go, sir.” The cashier said when he finally got up.

  Great, and on top of that, Jeremy had bought for him. Grumbling, Fritz slowly walked back to his shitty apartment. He paused, vaguely remembering what else Vincent had said back at the hospital six years ago.

  _“Poor kid...these fuckers never learn. Not even a month before this, it happened in the other location. Poor sucker didn't make it more than a week...here. Give this to newbie for us, would ya? It was Scott's idea.”_

  It took some digging. Fritz knew what box he'd packed it in, but it's been six years and he'd moved serveral times since then. He found it deep in his closet, covered in dust and falling apart. He chuckled, opening it up. An old Foxy doll was inside, dusty but still feeling new despite the time that passed. A small note was attached to it, signed by Scott and Vincent.

  Well, since Jeremy clearly had no problem with Foxy anymore...he'd give it to him. Tomorrow.

Xxxxxxx

  Mike yawned as he came in at eleven thirty. He felt exhasted; after dealing with those shadows, he felt drained. He wanted to discuss it with Jeremy and Mark; if there were spirits still here, besides whoever was sending them visions, then something very bad was still going on in the background.

  “Oww, ow...I smashed my finger again.”

  “Stop fucking complaining and go wash it off.”

  Mike paused, confused when he saw Fritz clutching his hand as he backed out of the back room. “...what're you doing here?”

  The red head paused, confused as well before his expression darkened. “I work here. With Jeremy. Excuse me.”

  He hurried to the kitchen. Mike blinked. He opened his mouth to offer maybe going to the bathroom since it was closer but hesitated. He wasn't fond of Fritz, from the little they'd interacted and it was obvious he didn't like Mike either. Sighing he headed into the back room.

  “Fucking idiot got blood everywhere...shitty fucking....oh hey Mike.” Jeremy was scrubbing at something, pausing when he saw the guard. “For an artist, that asshole has horrible cordination.”

  “How come he's working here? I'd think he'd never come back.” Mike said.

  “He has to pay off the damage he did to Foxy. So I got him a job here.” Jeremy shrugged.

  Mike hummed. “Is he going to be okay with the animatronics?”

  “Yeah. I told them he'd be here and to not bug him. Foxy didn't mind so the others kinda dropped it.”

  The blond finished up cleaning and washed his hands on a rag. He paused, seeing that Mike was staring at where the toys had been propped up. Someone had cleaned them up, though they were still missing pieces and there were cracks everywhere. The engineer was quick to look away as Mike approached them.

  “Is he really okay working here with you, with them here?” Mike asked.

  “He nearly shit himself...but yeah. I said they don't work. I mean, even if I felt like fixing them, we need a lot of shit to put them back together. And money. I have a feeling no one would wanna spend that kind of cash when we just added a show.” Jeremy explained.

  Mike nodded. He hated to admit it, but it was...brave of Fritz to work here again. He wondered if he'd ever be able to work at the place he almost died if the animatronics hadn't befriended him. He reluctantly turned away from the toys.

  “Well, I'll be in the living room with the others. If you need anything lemme know okay?”Mike said, grinning.

  Jeremy nodded. “Sure, just make sure they aren't fucking around with Fritz.”

  Mike headed out. He was surprised to see no one around. Usually they were cleaning, but maybe they were hiding away from Fritz? That didn't seem like them. He headed to the office, grabbing the tablet as he headed to the kitchen.

  “Mike! Hey, I'm teaching Springtrap how to make more pizzas.” Chica greeted.

  The gold bunny was messing with a cold pizza. He glanced up briefly but ignored Mike as he entered. “Wow, that's great Chica.”

  “He's a good learner!” The chicken chirped happily.

  Springtrap's ear wiggled. “I have a good teacher.”

  “Well, you know we'll be glad to take those pizzas off your hands when they're done.” Mike chuckled.

  “Nuh uh, Mark gets my first pizza.” The bunny said.

  “Oh, that's understandable. I bet he'll love it.” The guard offered.

  The bunny looked at him suspiciously. Mike ignored it. Chica had a pizza that was steaming as she put it into a box, humming something. Once finished, she handed it over. Mike winced; the cardboard was hotter than he expected.

  “Oops, sorry. But you guys can share that one!” She offered.

  “Thanks, Chica. I'll keep Jeremy company until Fritz leaves.”

  He left, too glad to get away from Springtrap. He'd never understand why that bunny hated him...sighing he headed back to the back room, nearly running into Fritz when he came around the corner from the bathroom.

  “Oh, sorry.” Mike said.

  Fritz blinked and shrugged. “S'fine....is, is the creepy bunny in the kitchen still?”

  “Springtrap? Yeah. He's learning how to make pizza.” Mike replied, shrugging. Fritz frowned. “Why? I mean, he's a bit weird but he's not going to hurt you. If you need the first aid, we can quick grab it, it'll only take a second-”

  “I, I'm okay. I just, I wanna get back and...” The red head shrugged uselessly.

  “...well, we have pizza. You can have some, Chica made it for us.” The guard offered.

  He headed inside when Fritz hesitated. Jeremy perked up instantly, smelling the pizza. He had what seemed to be an endoskeleton he was working on, since there was an arm but...well, that was mostly it. Fritz came in afterwards, nervously standing near the door.

  “Tell her to stop making fucking pizza at night....shit's gonna make me a fatass.” Jeremy said.

  “You tell her, I'm not turning down free food.” Mike shot back.

  They both grabbed a seat, taking a slice. When the engineer gave him a look, Fritz finally came forward and grabbed one himself. Mike was on his second slice when the door opened, Golden Freddy peeking inside. The red head made a noise and hid himself behind Jeremy.

  **“Have either of you seen Spring?”**

  “Kitchen. He's learning to cook.” Mike answered.

  The bear looked surprised. **“Oh? He's awful around ovens...”**

  That probably wasn't good. But the bear was gone before any of them could comment. Shrugging, Mike turned to Jeremy. “Where is everyone?”

  “Hm? Oh, they're hiding out in Pirate's Cove. Foxy wasn't mad about him being here, but the others were. So they're in there plotting something. I dunno, I didn't wanna hear any of it.” Jeremy mumbled, shrugging.

  “Gonna kill me likely...” Fritz mumbled.

  Mike snorted. “You're fine, really. They know better than to piss Jeremy off.”

  “...you realize how fucked up that is, right?” The red head asked, raising an eyebrow. “That they hold Jeremy's temperment more important than my _life_? And what, if it was someone that Jeremy wouldn't get mad over, it's okay?”

  “I didn't say that-” Mike started.

  “No, but you're implying it. Just because what? They listen to you? How can you be so sure?? You realize that we've had people we know die here, right?” Fritz went on. Jeremy went still. “Two guys! Two great guys, who were there with me in the hospital when Jeremy finally came to, are dead to this shitty place.”

  “We don't know that Vincent's dead...” Jeremy said weakly.

  “It would be one thing if that was _it_ , but it's not! At least back then, it was just some scars and he's gotten passed all that, but now? It's also cost him a foot and an eye.”

  Mike's teeth sunk into his lip, trying to think. A part of him wanted to get angry. He wanted to get defensive. Fritz didn't know what happened, he didn't understand what had happened that night, but...well, it didn't matter. Jeremy had lost too much to this place. And yet he was still working here, trying his hardest, doing his fucking best to get it back together.

  “...you ever wonder what Freddy Fazbear's success might do to the people that lost someone here?” Fritz asked.

  “It's a business. Shit happens.” Jeremy mumbled.

  It was heavy. Mike struggled to swallow the rest of his pizza. Freddy Fazbear's success...he hadn't ever given it a thought. He was just giving his friends what they needed. The children that had died had passed on. But their families...and not just theirs. The other night guards that didn't make it, like Scott...what did their families think? What were they even told?

  “Oh, hey. I forgot, since I never got back to see you but. Here.” Fritz reached into an old backpack that had been set against the wall. He pulled out a Foxy doll. “Scott wanted to give this to you at the hospital. He gave it to me though to give to ya, but...well, I wasn't allowed to see you.”

  Jeremy gave him a look, taking it as he looked it over. “...he realized that it was a foxy that nearly killed me, right?”

  Fritz snorted, chuckling. “Yeah, but you know him. He kept going on and on about how great Foxy was. I dunno, I think he grabbed it to make himself feel better...”

  He peeked at the tag. He rolled his eye, rubbing at his bad one as he propped it on the table. “I'm surprised you held on to it.”

  “I had to hide it in a box...I mean, Vincent's the one that handed it to me. Said it was Scott's idea, and all...” Fritz sighed. “He mentioned something like what Mangle did, happening before.”

  Both Mike and Jeremy stared at him. “What?”

  “Seriously??”

  “Y-yeah...I dunno, he said the person died...?” Fritz looked nervous with them both staring. “I mean, probably not hard to find out....I should get going, it's nearly midnight. Uh, see you tomorrow Jeremy.”

  He headed out quickly. Mike watched him go, sighing. Jeremy was poking at the doll, seeming far away. “...you think he has a point? About...about this?”

  “Sure. We all nearly died, we know what it's like, right? We know the risk...” Jeremy shrugged. “But we're surviving, Mike. That's part of survival, sometimes you do things for yourself.”

  “You ever feel guilty?” The guard asked softly.

  The other snorted, grabbing the last slice of pizza. “Fuck no. I like to think I have a right to do whatever the fuck I want after what I've been through.”

  They both laughed. After making sure his hands were clean, Jeremy grabbed the foxy plush and stood up. “I'm going home for the night....I'll see you tomorrow.”

  Mike watched him go as well. Alone, he threw away the pizza box and headed out. Springtrap was with Golden Freddy on their own stage, the two apparently deep in conversation. Neither of them noticed him. Not wanting to bother them, he headed for Pirate's Cove.

  **_“Oh dear! The marked one is all alone?”_**

  Mike froze, looking around wildly. He found the shadowy bunny peeking out from under a table nearby. Those empty bright white eyes were staring right at him, giggling as the guard hesitated. The shadows hadn't attacked them yesterday but that didn't exactly mean anything.

  **_“Maybe he's been misplaced?”_**

**_“Oh no, we should replace him! How sad will his friendly friends be without him around? How will our dear ghost handle it?”_ **

  “I'm not missing...Jeremy and Mark aren't here tonight.” He cut in gently.

  He jumped when the bear was suddenly next to him. The inky black figure rumbled something similar to a laugh. **_“Ah, how youth make such mistakes...”_**

  Mike felt something heavy in his stomach. Mistake? He tried to think, feeling nervous as the tall black bunny giggled and hopped over the table. Wait...he was alone. Hadn't he told Mark to _not_ be alone lately?? But the ghost vision...person wasn't after him. Right?

  **“What a rare sight to see.”** Golden Freddy suddenly spoke up. Neither of the shadows looked at him. **“My, my, Michael, you are quite the charmer, hm?”**

  “Yeah, real casanova...” He grumbled.

  **_“Oh dear, I believe the biter is talking to us!”_** The bunny grinned wider somehow.

  Biter? The only biter was Mangle...Mike jumped when Golden Freddy scowled; he'd never seen the old bear angry and it was rather terrifying. Springtrap seemed oddly complacent, watching what was going on and huffing when he saw Mike looking.

  **_“How does he speak around all the blood?”_**

**_“I believe I liked him better in purple.”_ **

  **“Don't you have something to do? You usually only show up to be cryptic and irritating.”** Golden Freddy grumbled at them.

  **_“Oh dear! We've upset him, whatever will we do??”_** The bunny laughed, falling back on the table and holding his stomach.

  The gold bear roared, standing up despite Springtrap grabbing at him arm. The bunny continued to ignore him, laughing and giggling away. Mike backed away slowly. He had no idea what was going on but this was a very bad situation. Golden Freddy had always been the scary, ghost-like one...but these Shadows were something else.

  **_“The biter dares raise his voice to us, however shall we fix him? How do we show him the error of his ways?”_** The black Freddy asked, tapping his chin.

  “How about we all calm down, and you tell me what you wanted to?” Mike offered weakly. All the animatronics looked at him curiously. “It must be important if you're here, right? I doubt you'd bother with me otherwise.”

  **_“Such manners on him. I say we help.”_** The shadow Bonnie said.

  The shadow Freddy's white eyes narrowed. **_“But he is wrong, he believes too wrongly.”_**

  What did that even mean?? Mike stared at them both, confused. The dark Bonnie was frowning before he perked right up, grinning again. The guard considered running. He had no idea what was going to happen. They might attack him.

  **_“Aww but I want to help! Don't be boring!”_** The bunny huffed but the grin never left. **_“The marked one needs to understand! He sees so wrong, he needs to know! The damaged one needs to be watched so closely, he is too connected. Our ghosty friend will want to see him again.”_**

  Damaged one...wasn't that what they called Jeremy? And...he was connected to the ghost? How? Mike felt his mind racing. No, if Jeremy knew the killer then he had no idea what would've happened. That wasn't Jeremy at all.

  **_“You've said your piece, now leave. You make it too easy.”_** The Freddy hissed at him and then merged into the shadows, completely disappearing.

  “Wait, is Jeremy in danger??” Mike asked the shadow bunny.

  He paused, giggling. Mike jumped back when he reached out, a freezing, too cold hand on the guard's shoulder. **_“Such loyalty is rewarded in our establishment~ And yet it is so misplaced, we will be sadden to see you go.”_**

  The shadow Bonnie disappeared as well, looking like it slinked under a table. Mike hesitated. His brain immediately hurt, and where he'd been touched was still cold. He groaned and rubbed at his temples.

  He jumped when Golden Freddy nudged him, nearly falling over. **“Are you alright, Michael?”**

  “Y-yeah, I'm okay...what are those things?” Mike asked.

  The bear sighed, shaking his head. **“They are ghosts who should be gone and forgotten. Do not waste your time on them, they play games that are unwinnable.”**

  Mike nodded slowly. He appreciated the warning, but he knew he couldn't do that. He needed to know what they were and why they were giving vague hints. How did they know what was going on here? How did they know Jeremy knew the ghost? The guard sighed.

  “I think I'll just go sit with the others...are you going to come?”

  He saw Springtrap scowl at him as Golden Freddy shook his head. **“We are fine, thank you for your consideration.”**

  Mike nodded and headed for the Cove again. He'd have to discuss this with the others but for now, he decided it could wait. They all needed to adjust with Fritz now being here, and they still didn't understand what the vision...ghost thing was after.

  “Hey Mike! Someone forgot their cards here, you wanna play?” Bonnie greeted, all four of them sitting up on the ship.

  “Th'cowards won't play Poker...” Foxy grumbled.

  Mike snorted. “Well, what are you playing then?”

  “Go Fish.” Chica held up her hand.

  “We can start over for you to join.” Freddy offered.

  The guard nodded and sat between the bear and fox, watching as they began piling the cards together and shuffling them. “Thanks.”

  “Just don't be a sore loser, lad.” Foxy poked at him, grinning.

  “Oh, I think you'll find that I happen to be a master of Go Fish.”

xxxxxxx


	11. Phantoms Are the Least of Your Worries

  “That lady is back.”

  He heard Fredbear sigh, the huge golden bear likely rolling his eyes. **“Spring, just ignore her. There must be a reason she wasn't fired-”**

  “No, no! Not her. The other lady.” Springtrap argued, lightly stomping his foot. Jeremy had gotten upset last time he'd done it and broke the floor. “The one that we cleaned up for.”

  “That would be Jill. Guess she's back with our inspection grade.” Mark said as he passed, looking tired. He had some grease stains on his uniform. “Wish we had known, I look like crap.”

  “I doubt she'll be inspecting you, Mr. Pilliars.” Freddy rolled his eyes.

  Still, they were all waiting. The lady was pulled towards the back office by the manager, and Springtrap was curious what their grade was. He remembered kids talking about grades, and that they were important. And Jeremy had said that the restaurant could be closed down if they didn't pass.

  **“Don't get worked up. Things went fine.”**

  “I'm okay!” Springtrap said, shrugging it off. He didn't care if the restaurant closed; he had Fredbear again and that's all that really mattered to him.

  “Oh here they are.” Jill came around the corner, holding some folders. She smiled, looking at them all before turning to Mark. “I didn't get to meet you before. Long day?”

  “Uh, yeah, the kids kinda run around and make me earn my paycheck. Jill right? Mike and Jeremy mentioned you coming here, hope we've done a good job.” Mark said.

  She nodded. “I couldn't give you an A, since your manager and I have some disagreements and your CEO is a little too casual about this chain despite some history but...B+ is still pretty good.”

  Mark visisbly relaxed. “Wow, thanks...if you don't mind, I heard you had someone who worked here?”

  Springtrap noticed Fredbear tense. He patted his arm. He kinda remembered the man. Sometimes he had some trouble remembering things lately, and he should probably ask Jeremy about it before something happened, but he could remember this guy.

  “Mm, he did. For years and years, we moved around when they'd transfer him. He and his friend would wear these two,” She motioned to the gold animatronics. “And then there was an accident at a different location, and then those kids...” She sighed. “But he wanted to stay, he loved working here.”

  The gold bunny frowned slightly. Wait, he knew this didn't he? He rubbed at his head; something wasn't sparking right or something. But he stopped when he noticed the two bears were watching him.

  “I guess I can understand that. I like working here too even if it's...demanding.” Mark said, shrugging.

  Jill smiled. “Well, that's why we kept moving. But then there was an accident...I wish he could've told me about the waivers but...Oh well. That was Scott for you, always going in head first if it meant having fun. I'm glad he had Mike to replace him.”

  Scott...Springtrap felt an odd pressure in his head. Scott and...and _him_ , it was him again, it was always him. He started twitching again. No, he didn't want it to spark together. He jumped when someone touched him, and he didn't resist when Fredbear gently led him away towards the backroom.

  **“Don't worry, Spring. You just need a moment to rest.”**

  “It's, it's not right, I don't wanna remember, Fredbear...” He said, clinging to his head.

  He was put on the table. The golden bear was frowning as he looked him over. They both jumped slightly when the door opened, Mark coming in.

  “You okay? You looked sick back there...”

  “I can't be sick, I'm a robot.” Springtrap said weakly.

  The guard gave him a look, hands on his hips. “Don't be smart. Really, Spring, are you okay? I'll call Jeremy, he won't mind coming in a bit early to look at you...Jill said she'd come back another day.”

  He didn't want her to come back. Springtrap groaned and clutched his head. She'd been around before. He remembered, but she'd been huge then. They were going to be parents, right? And then there had been him there with them and the pressure was back in his head.

  “I'm calling Jeremy...you're going to stay back here with him?” Mark asked.

  **“Of course. Please tell Jeremy to hurry.”**

  He didn't want Mark to leave, but he didn't say anything as the guard nodded and ran out. Fredbear gently patted his back. What was happening to him? Would they put him back into the room?

  **“Do not worry, Spring. I'd never let that happen again.”**

xxxxx

  Jeremy rolled over, confused. It was his day off, so why was he awake? If he checked his phone and it was before noon he was going to be pissed off. Sighing, he sat up, glancing around. His phone was vibrating near his head. He rubbed at his eyes, noticing it was Mark.

  “What now?” He asked, answering it.

_“Sorry to bug you on your day off, but Springtrap is having some kind of...I don't know, meltdown or something. That inspector came back to pass us and he started twitching and had to be moved to the back room. Can you come in and look at him?”_

  He groaned. “Yeah gimme an...an hour at the most. Just keep him in the back so he doesn't snap and hurt someone.”

  He hung up. Sighing again, Jeremy looked around and got his prosthetic on slowly, deciding to forgo a shower. He didn't plan on being there long, and he just wanted to get this over with. He wondered if Springtrap would just be retired since shit like this kept happening. Shaking his head the blond slowly got dressed.

  “I knew you wouldn't forget about me, newbie.”

  Jeremy jumped, stumbling against the bed. No one was there. He waited and made sure he was still in his room. No vision, no transporting to somewhere else...no ghosts. He gritted his teeth, pulling himself back up.

  “Why the fuck am I hallucinating about some asshole I barely remember??”

  “Cuz ya do remember me, newbie.”

  He finished putting his shirt on, rolling his eye. “Maybe my eye is making me insane...”

  “You can't ignore me forever.”

  He quickly left, pausing only when one of his roommates called after him about bringing back some pizza. He flipped him off and headed towards the restaurant. Maybe he really was insane. He was imagining a coworker he couldn't even remember the face of...Sighing he went inside, punching in and shouldering past anyone that got into his way.

  “Alright what the hell happened?”

  Springtrap was lying on the table, with Golden Freddy sitting beside him. The bunny glanced at him, but didn't seem like he was freaking out or glitching. He actually seemed kinda bored, but then again, the old robot was always kind of weird.

  **“** **Spring was having some trouble...but he wishes to not talk about it with me.”** The bear said softly.

  Jeremy sighed. “Goldie, mind grabbing Mark for me? Maybe he can explain.”

  He watched him leave. Alone, the blond sighed and pulled up a stool, sitting next to Springtrap. “Okay, listen. I don't give a fuck who, you should probably go with Mark since he's smart and shit, but you need to talk to someone about what's going on. You know how Mark said it's some kind of PTSD?”

  Springtrap hesitated. “I don't know what that means...”

  “Means the shit that happened to you, is fucking with your head. And unless you get someone to open up to and listen to it, it's going to keep fucking with you.” Jeremy explained.

  “Somehow I don't think it's that simple.” The bunny said, eyeing him suspiciously. “Can't you rework my hard drive instead?”

  Jeremy shook his head. “It doesn't work that way. You've got your old assholebear, you've got Mark, whatever. It doesn't need to be immediately either, okay? But everyone noticed that you've been twitchy. And shit's still happening with the killer, so shit will keep coming up.”

  “...I don't like remembering though. Especially of him, or of what happened to you.”

  So he remembered? The engineer sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He wondered, but with how Springtrap acted it seemed like he hadn't. No wonder he was so twitchy. Shaking his head, Jeremy hesitated before patting his shoulder.

  “It wasn't you. It was that asshole...whoever the fuck he was.”

  Springtrap frowned at that. “I don't want to remember him. But I do. I think I keep seeing him.”

  Jeremy tensed at that. Wait...Springtrap knew who the killer was? Did he know specifically? He knew that the bunny was having some kind of trauma with remembering… but they _needed_ to know, since the killer was still haunting them.

  “You need to know, right? I try not to listen to what Mike says, but I know he's still around...” The animatronic looked at him. “Is he going to hurt someone again?”

  “Dunno...I assume so.”

  The bunny frowned. “Will he hurt Mark?”

  “He's threatened to.” Jeremy said softly.

  “He's been with us since opening...like that other lady said, her husband wore Fredbear and...” Springtrap hesitated. “And Vincent sometimes wore me.”

  Jeremy jerked away from the animatronic. Wait, what? Vincent? As in, the guy he was just beginning to remember Vincent?? Did Scott know? Did...did he know, at the time? What else was he not remembering from back then?

  “And Vincent was the one that killed the kids?” He asked.

  “Yeah...he wore me when he did it. Then I got stuck in the back until he came back.” Springtrap looked at him curiously. “Did you know him?”

  The blond clutched at his pants, thinking. He did...and recently, he'd been thinking that Vincent must've been a decent friend. The guy had been there in the hospital to see him. He'd apparently been there to give him tips between those awful nights working as a guard. But he was actually the one that killed all those kids...

  “Yeah, back when I worked here.”

  “Fredbear always hated him, but I thought he was nice. He really liked working with the kids...I dunno what happened. Suddenly he just...had them all cornered in the back. I think he tried to explain it when they were sealed together but I never listened to him.” The bunny explained.

  “Did you...break on him on purpose?” Jeremy asked. He'd always wondered if the springs broke like they'd been known to, but since the animatronics were sentient.

  “....yeah...don't tell Fredbear though. We weren't allowed to see each other, and since I knew what Vincent had done...”

  Jeremy hesitated before patting the robot's ear. “You were looking out for your home. Don't worry about it; our little secret.”

  They stopped when the door opened. Mark had taken his sweet ass time, but since he was on duty, Jeremy didn't say anything. The guard looked between them as Golden Freddy closed the door behind them.

  “Sorry, I had to explain that the vintage show had to be put on hold for now. Everything okay?” Mark asked.

  “Yeah, just having a talk with Springtrap here.” Jeremy stretched. “You okay with performing, Rusty?”

  The bunny gave him a look. “Yeah I can.”

  “Good. If you think you're going to freeze up or something, make sure you give some kind of signal. We can think of something to distract the kids.” Jeremy got up. “Since you ruined my nap, I'm grabbing something to eat.”

  “Careful, Foxy's cooking.”

  That was a horrifying thought. Jeremy rolled his eye and limped off. He doubted that Springtrap would open up immediately, and likely not with two people sitting there. But at least he had that out of the way, and hopefully the damn robot would take his advice before something happens that catches management's attention...

  Which just left this newfound information. Mike had said that the kids were killed when he'd worked there...and Vincent was the one that killed them. The engineer made a beeline for the security office. What else was he not remembering? Had he known? Vincent could've been arrested if he had, but because of being bitten...

  No, he couldn't assume that. He might've been a quiet brat back then, but he never would've stayed quiet about murders. He sat down in the chair and sighed, running a hand through his hair, stopping at the ring of scars around his forehead. He wished he could remember everything. Maybe he could've stopped this from going as far as it had...

  “There ya be! Mark be lookin' fer ya, said you were hungry.” Foxy poked his head into the room, pausing when he noticed Jeremy's expression. “Ya be okay, mate?”

  “Yeah, fucking great. Just found out that I personally knew the guy who killed all the kids and is haunting the place I work.” Jeremy grumbled.

  “Ya knew him?” The fox asked, looking amazed.

  He sighed. “Apparently...Anyway, what were you saying?”

  “Mark said ya be hungry, was gonna make ya somethin'. If yer up fer it.”

  The blond snorted, shaking his head. “Yeah, thanks. Sounds great.”

  The animatronic left quickly. Jeremy watched him go. He wondered what Mark needed, but didn't move yet. He needed to talk to him and Mike of course, about what he'd learned. But as he sat there, he needed just a moment to sink it all in.

  “Back off, I be givin' it ta him.”

  Jeremy blinked, having blanked out. He rolled his eye when he heard Foxy arguing with someone, not surprised to see Chica with him. The chicken was trying to steal the pizza box away from the pirate as they dodged around each other.

  “Your pizza's are awful though! Let me remake it!”

  “There be nothin' wrong wit' me bakin.” Foxy argued, growling at her as he offered the engineer the box.

  “At least let me make you one for home, Jeremy. You need to eat more.” Chica offered, giving him a pleading look.

  The blond snorted. “Sure, but you better hurry cuz I want to get home.”

  She grinned and hurried out. Shaking his head, he began eating himself some pizza. “I dunno what she's talking about, your pizza is fine.”

  “She be jealous. I gave ya a meat and the lass got upset.” Foxy shrugged.

  Well...he really hoped that they didn't sell any BBQ Chicken pizza. He doubted Chica would understand, but it was just better to not bring it up at all. He leaned back in his chair, listening as the fox rambled on about what had happened during the day, their passing grade for the inspection, and a few kids that won some mini contest.

  “Wait, back up. That inspector....her husband was _Scott_??” Jeremy demanded.

  “That what she be sayin. Or rather wut the ol'bear said. I wasn't there.” Foxy flipped up his eye patch. “Ya knew him, right? Ya and Mike.”

  “Yeah. Fritz did too.” Jeremy sighed. Great. “She was going to come back?”

  “Aye. She be wantin' to see ya and Mike. Mentioned bringin' the lil one.”

  Jeremy hummed, thinking. “I'll have to come in then. I want to meet her again.”

  If this was Scott's wife, she had to know Vincent. They seemed like good friends. And since her husband had looked out for his ass back in the day, it seemed the least he could do was meet her and see his family.

  “Here you are, Jeremy! Come on Foxy, our show is about to go on.” Chica chirped.

  “You're going to make me look like an asshole, carrying two boxes out.” Jeremy grumbled but took his new pizza anyway. “And lay off Foxy's pizzas.”

  She huffed, pouting. “There's no vegetables!”

  “It's called variety.”

  “Am I really going to have to come down here and separate you two so we can do our jobs?” Freddy suddenly appeared, hands on his hips.

  “Hey, I already did my job. I calmed down the rustbucket and am now taking my free food home.” Jeremy argued.

  The bear gave him a look. “I'm sure, Mr. Fitzgerald.”

  “Jeremy won't eat his vegetables, Freddy, he already looks like he's starving.” Chica cut in. She scowled when Jeremy groaned. “Really! Make sure you eat mine too. Sorry you had to come in on your day off Jeremy.”

  “Yeah yeah, just make sure Springtrap doesn't start glitching out okay? And no one call me the rest of the day.” He muttered as he got his two pizza boxes together.

  “Be seein' ya tomorrow.” Foxy waved as they split up.

  “See ya.” Jeremy watched them get on to stage. He glanced around, seeing the huge crowd of kids as the lights dimmed for the show before heading for the exit.

  He paused when on the way home, his phone rang. Sighing, adjusting the pizza boxes, he answered it. “Yeah?”

  _“_ _Hey, sorry, you left before I could talk to you. Did Foxy tell you? About Jill?”_

  “Yeah he did. I figured we'd talk when Mike is with us too, I...” He hesitated, swallowing. “I know who the killer is.”

  He heard Mark curse softly. _“Seriously?? When? How?”_

  “Today...Springtrap told me. I'll explain later, okay?” He sighed. “Just let me get home and think. Once the three of us work together we'll deal with it.”

  _“_ _You really want to wait till then? What if something happens before then?”_ Mark asked. He sounded annoyed, but it faded quickly. _“Alright, just be careful okay? And don't do anything weird. Whoever the killer is doesn't matter.”_

  Jeremy couldn't help but smile. “Right. I'll see you later. Be careful.”

  He hung up. Feeling relieved somehow, he finished the trek home and ignored his roommates as he took his food into his room. He wondered how Mike would react, knowing who the killer was. Or Fritz. Shaking his head, he took a slice of 'vegetable' pizza and lay in his bed.

  “Glad to see you back, newbie.”

  Jeremy ignored the voice. “At least I'm not crazy...” He mumbled to himself.

Xxxxxxx


	12. Darkest Fears Inside

  _There were flashing lights going off. Red and bright, with a loud siren. Mike knew them, having been rushed to the hospital too many times since taking his job at Freddy Fazbear's. An ambulance. He didn't recognize the layout of the restaurant, since it was so big and there were so many large rooms. This wasn't Jeremy's pizzaria or theirs. This was something else._

_“It...it was an accident.”_

_Mike turned. Nothing. Frowning, he decided to follow along the hallway. He stopped when he came to a huge dining room; the stage was up ahead, with two gold animatronics that he knew too well now. There were officers around, medics and employees. What...what was going on?_

_“I swear it was an accident!”_

_Mike saw a group of boys with an officer. They were holding masks of the characters, and one was sobbing as he clutched the Foxy mask. They looked maybe twelve. Swallowing, Mike continued on to the stage where everyone was crowded._

_He cried out, backing away when he saw the small, limp body hanging from Fredbear's mouth. It twitched now and then, and there were firemen around, trying to pry the robot's jaw open. There was blood everywhere. Mike had to cover his mouth as his mouth watered full of bile at the sight._

_“Back up!” Someone called._

_The gold bear's mouth opened with a sickening crunch. Mike heard someone whimper behind him. The medics grabbed the boy and the guard couldn't see past them as they worked. Why was he seeing this? Hadn't these visions been about the killer haunting the restaurant?_

_“M-my boy...”_

_Mike turned around. One of the employees fell to his knees as he stared towards the stage. He didn't recognize him, but there was something...But he couldn't think. The man was grabbed by a fellow employee, and they attempted to drag him away from the scene._

_“You shouldn't see this, come on.”_

_“N-no, my...Not my boy, please...”_

_Mike shuddered. That...that was his son in there?? What had happened? He knew Fritz had mentioned there'd been a bite before but...no way. This wasn't it was it? It had been a kid? The nausea came back full force._

_“Wha...what happened??”_

_The guard jumped. Mark was standing there, eyes wide as he watched the medics work. “Mark...you're here too?”_

_“...I think I fell asleep at work. What the fuck is this?”_

_“I, I don't know. I think this is the other bite...” Mike whispered. “I don't dare get closer.”_

_The younger guard went pale. “He's just a kid...how does this even happen?” There was a pause then he began walking forward. “I'm...I'm going to look. Maybe I can...”_

_Behind them, the employee kept sobbing as his coworker held him, trying to convince him to move. Mike wasn't sure what to do. If he looked, it was something he could never unsee. But he felt useless, standing there. They were brought here for a reason, weren't they?_

_“Holy shit...” Mark whispered._

_“D-don't, don't tell me okay?” Mike begged weakly._

_Mark shook his head. “The kid's still alive...”_

_They both jumped when everyone in the room disappeared. The restaurant darkened, and the two gold animatronics withered and rusted. Mike ran over to Mark as they both looked around wildly. What was going on?_

_**“Oh dear! I think we're disturbing them~”**_

  _Mike yelped when Shadow Bonnie's face popped into view. “What??”_

_**“Ghosty friend is trying to show you something interesting! Oh my, I think he even may be giving our dear friends a clue.”**_

**_“How boring our ghost is. Shall we stop them? But oh dear, they seem so close.”_ **

_Mark shuddered against Mike's back. “Not these guys again...”_

_“Careful.” Mike whispered back. “They're powerful enough to stop whatever these visions are. Best be mindful of what we say to them...”_

_The shadowy Bonnie giggled. **“Ah our Marked One is so clever! Shall we let them out?”**_

**_“Too soft on the youth. Leave them to see what needs to be seen.”_ ** _Shadow Freddy mused darkly._

_“I think we've seen enough...” Mike mumbled._

_**“Oh, is it all too much for you? Does the cold death frighten you?”** Shadow Freddy growled at them, looming over both guards. **“Or is it because it is a mere child that you cannot stomach to look upon him?”**_

_“Death is horrible no matter who is it, but of course I don't want to disturb this poor kid that died!” Mike argued hotly._

_He was surprised when the bunny stopped giggling and inspected him. **“Oh, my...I believe our friend is ready.”**_

**_“Then it is best he deals with our ghosty friend while awake.”_ **

_“What?” Mike gaped at them._

_**“Our young Damaged one has finally learned the truth. And now, the Marked one has gazed upon the circumstance...”** The Freddy shook his head sadly. **“We come close to the curtain call. I fear what comes afterwards.”**_

_“...this is so fucking weird but please call me when we wake up.” Mark said._

_“Y-yeah, I will...”_

_Shadow Bonnie waved. And just like that, when Mike blinked, he was suddenly in his room, laying in bed._

The guard was breathing hard as he sat up. He had been prepared for a vision. It had been awhile since any of them had gotten one, and it seemed they were getting closer to whatever mystery was left at Freddy Fazbear's. But what he had seen...He wasn't sure what to make of it or why he and Mark had seen it.

  He got up and got dressed for work, mind racing. It felt like they were getting so close to understanding everything. That it would all come to ahead soon. Maybe that meant things would finally calm down and he could have a normal job...then again he worked with sentient, overprotective robots.

  He went to grab a jacket when he stopped. His eyes landed on an overturned picture. His throat felt tight. No, no he couldn't slow down. If he did, then he had to face reality. He much preferred dealing with mysteries and killer ghosts than what needed to happen and very quickly in his life.

  He did, however, grab the picture and gently tucked it into a pocket. It was the closest thing he'd get to showing his mom his new family.

Xxxxxx

  “I'd worry about Mark staying tonight but I guess he had plenty of rest today didn't he?” Chica teased as Mike walked in.

  The guard flushed, glaring at her. “Hey, some of us aren't made of metal and magical powers thank you.”

  “Easy fix, lad.” Foxy mused. “Could be like ol'times, right Mike?”

  “Hardy har.” The head guard mumbled, rolling his eyes. “Is Jeremy in?”

  Freddy shook his head. “Not yet. Mr. Fitzgerald made it clear he would come in on his own time.”

  “Sounds like him...” Mike grumbled to himself.

  “I had an idea, Mike. Follow me.” The other guard said.

  He followed Mark to the security office. He paused when he saw Springtrap, the gold bunny was sitting on the floor watching the tablet. It was just like what the others did for him, but it was odd to see one of them doing it for Mark. Blinking, he glanced at the younger guard but he just sat in the chair next to the robot.

  “Spring, I have a question. And you don't have to answer it, okay?” Mark asked softly.

  The bunny looked up, looking between them both suspiciously. “What?”

  He could even still call him Spring...Mike wondered, not for the first time, why the older bunny hated him so much. What had he done wrong? He was glad Mark had a friend in here of course, but he wish he knew why Springtrap didn't trust him.

  “Was there an accident at an older restaurant? With a boy?” Mark asked.

  Mike and Springtrap both stiffened at the question. “H-hey, Mark-”

  “How did you...find out about that?” Springtrap seemed uneasy as he fiddled with the tablet. He glanced around nervously. “I shouldn't...I mean, Fredbear...”

  Mark gently reached out and put a hand on the bunny's. “If you don't want to say, it's okay. We can ask Fredbear. But I didn't want to upset him if he's sensitive about what happened. We saw it, we think the killer made us see it for a reason but we don't understand why.”

  “I don't really...remember too much then. We weren't singing or being used. When I woke up, they were already gone and Fredbear...” The bunny hesitated.

  “Do you think he'd be okay telling us what happened?” Mike asked softly.

  “I dunno...he...they retired him after that. Fredbear doesn't like to remember what happened...” Springtrap answered, apparently not even noticing that it was the Head guard that asked.

  Mark frowned, thinking. “I can't blame him.”

  “It was an accident though! Fredbear didn't mean to...”

  “None of us doubt that at all, Springtrap. Especially to a kid.” Mike offered.

  The bunny gave him one of those looks again. Eyeing him, like he expected Mike to try something. He ignored it and gave a smile. Both employees jumped when the robot stood, towering over Mike.

  “Uh, Spring?” Mark tried to gently shake him but the animatronic ignored him.

  “You act like he did...” Springtrap hissed at him. He reminded Mike every bit of the angry, possessed robot he'd gone against. “Back then, when he pretended to like working here.”

  “Whoa-You think I'm anything like him??” Mike demanded. His heart began racing; he was having rather violent flashbacks to when Freddy put him through a door. “I'm not! I'm trying to help-”

  “Is something going on?” Freddy came around the corner, looking confused. His eyes narrowed and he stepped between the guard and robot. “Do you have a problem, Springtrap?”

  The bunny began twitching. “Make him s-stop pretending!”

  “I'm not pretending anything! Is this why you hate me?? You think I'm faking about wanting to help this place and about you guys?” The guard demanded.

  “Of course you are, n-n-no one s-stays! They always leave, they always die!” Springtrap roared at him. He looked like he wanted to lunge at him, but Freddy was shielding him.

  “If I died, I'd come back and stay here.”

  That apparently wasn't the right thing to say. Especially in retrospect, when he considered that that had been exactly what the killer did. But Springtrap gave a hideous screech and tried to jump around the huge brown bear.

  “Whoa, what the fuck is going on??” Jeremy demanded as he and Fritz stopped down the hall.

  Mike didn't get a chance to answer as he backed away. And then decided to run since he knew too well that Springtrap, when broke, could toss the bear clear across the room. He'd rather not see what would happen when he was fixed. He was passed the storage room when he heard the sound of animatronic footsteps following after him.

  “Hey, Springtrap! Get your ass back here.” Jeremy snapped.

  Mike ducked under a table as the gold bunny ran after him. He snarled and grabbed a hold of Mike's shirt, dragging him out. The guard yelped, struggling as he tried to reach for his hand and force him to let go.

  “Springtrap, what're you doing??” Chica demanded, her and the others coming from behind the curtain.

  “Spring, calm down! Come on, we talked about this.” Mark ran in, Jeremy limping behind with Fritz's help.

  “I'd really appreciate you not sending me to the hospital again...” Mike grumbled as he struggled.

  “Release him, Springtrap! I have had enough of you being on ends with Mike.” Freddy snapped. He righted his hat as he came into the dining room. “He's the only reason you were found from that room.”

  “Or why the restaurant is even still here...” Bonnie added. “They were going to close us down. Why do you hate him?”

  Mike sighed in relief when he was released. He groaned, hitting the ground. He risked looking up at the robot. Springtrap was twitching again. He scowled down at Mike before growling and turning away.

  “You're not getting out of this one, Springtrap.” Freddy said. He stepped into the others way. “We refuse to keep this going. We cannot be constantly worrying that you'll attack Mike if something comes up.”

  “Hey, stop.” Mike cut in. He put a hand on Freddy's arm, patting the plastic shell before he walked over to where Springtrap had stopped. “Springtrap...I had this exact conversation once with Freddy. He thought I was like him too, that I'd betray their trust and hurt someone. You've been through a lot, more than I can ever imagine, and I know me trying to explain myself isn't enough.”

  “Then why are you preaching at me?” The bunny whined.

  Despite himself, the brunette laughed at that. “Well, I just want us to come to understanding...you know, you don't come after me and I'll...I dunno, do something that makes you feel more comfortable having me around.”

  “They all leave or die...It doesn't matter.”

  “But we aren't.” Mike argued softly. “None of us. Me, Jeremy, Mark...we want to stay here, with you guys.”

  His heart was beating too fast in his chest. Springtrap was looking at him again, but Mike refused to look away. He didn't want to keep being so nervous around the old animatronic.

  “I don't like you.” Springtrap grumbled defiantly.

  “You don't have to. I mean, I think you're pretty neat since you haven't killed me yet, and I definitely appreciate being alive.” Mike shrugged.

  “Great, now that we have that mini heart attack out of the way...” Jeremy said, sighing as he limped over. “We have anything else to quick deal with before we get to business?”

  Freddy scowled. “You're sure this is an okay resolution, Mike?”

  “Springtrap's not required to like anyone. And something like this needed to happen, I don't want anyone feeling uncomfortable.” Mike shrugged.

  “Y-yes, that would be a-a-awful.”

  Mike only caught the movement in the corner of his eye. He turned, seeing a glow before he was shoved to the ground. He groaned, something hard hitting his stomach as he fell back. Forcing his eyes open, he was surprised to see Fritz on him, knee planted in his stomach.

  “I m-m-missed...”

  Springtrap tilted his head, grinning. There were pieces of Fritz's uniform caught in his teeth. He...he had tried to bite him. Mike stared, mouth agape as his brain tried to catch up with what was going on. The gold bunny's eyes were glowing oddly, and he...he had seen that before hadn't he?

  “Get out of the robot, you fucking creepy asshole!” Jeremy snapped.

  “But newbie, h-haven't you m-m-m-mISSSed me?”

  He knew that voice. Mike jumped when Fritz slowly got off of him, the two standing up.  He made a note to bring up the fact that the red haired man had saved him but for now he was trying not to panic. Why could the killer possess Springtrap again? They had forced him out before...

  “Fuck this g-glitching shit i-is annoying.” The robot looked himself over slightly. “All nNEWww and fixed up. B-but don't look so w-worRIEeddd. I'm not going to s-stay.”

  “What do you want?” Mike demanded.

  “I had hoped I could g-get in a cheap s-shoTTT. But m-mostly I thought w-we'd all r-reAALLy be brought into the Fazbear f-family. You don't c-count till you have some s-scars, ain't that right?”

  “You dare show your face again?” Freddy growled, eyes bleeding to black.

  Springtrap grinned. “I d-don't think borrowing h-his counts, hmmm, FREEEDDdddy? Now now,” He waved his hands when the bear began coming at him. “I-it ain't permanent. I just waNTed to warn our c-cast of misfits. Ya think thoSEEee s-shades can overpower w-w-what I decide to show ya?”

  “Obviously since they did.” Mark said dryly.

  “Is there a reason we're getting little powerpoints in our fucking heads?” Jeremy asked. “You're just giving us clues and chances to stop you.”

  “Haven't you learned by now, newbie? I-I don't sTOPp. I don't just g-go away. And if you're not going to a-a-appreciate them, fine. We'll start w-with the real stuff...”

  Fritz slowly mouthed something, a look overcoming his face that Mike didn't recognize. But he was too busy staring at the animatronic as it slumped slightly, the glowing in his eyes fading. Mark ran forward, hesitating before he smacked the bunny's face, hissing as he held his hand.

  “Owww....Shit, Spring, you in there now??”

  “Careful, moron, if he's still possessed-” Jeremy started.

  Springtrap groaned, pulling on his ears. “Did...I go offline? What happened?”

  He frowned, looking at them in confusion. Mike sighed. “What...just happened?”

  “Jeremy,” Fritz cut in, looking pale. “Who...who is it? That's not...but it sounds like him, doesn't it? He talks like him and...”

  Jeremy rubbed his eye. “Yeah, it's him...just, go grab yourself a fucking new uniform okay? We'll...discuss this in a second.”

  Mike caught sight of the huge hole in Fritz's sleeve. A few centimeters closer...he shuddered. He'd almost lost his arm...to save him. But Fritz just nodded slowly, walking off stiffly towards the back room.

  “Come here, rustbucket. Let's get this outta your mouth.” Jeremy said, going to remove the bits of fabric. His hands were shaking from being anywhere near his jaw.

 Xxxxxxx

  Fritz was trembling as he looking through a box in the back for a new shirt. It really was...Vincent had killed those kids? Back then? He had to stop and sit himself down on a chair. He had no idea...Vincent had been weird sure, but so had Scott. He never would've suspected him of being a child killer.

  “What does Jeremy expect us to do...” He mumbled to himself.

  “Jeremy?? Is he still working with us?”

  The red head jumped. Had someone followed him in? Oh god, what if it was Vincent?? But he didn't see anyone...He got up, frowning. “What?”

  “Odd, I can't move...”

  “Ugh, it's the weird one again. Probably messed up our AI again.”

  Fritz turned towards the source of the sound. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he screamed when the toys blinked back at him.

Xxxxxx


	13. Gonna See the Show Tonight

  “Owww, how rude. We can't exactly cover our ears you know.”

  Fritz backed away, eyes wide. He ended up backing into the table and tripping over something. He hissed; he'd fallen weird on his hand. But it quickly went from his head as he went back to staring at the three heads.

  “Hey, we're not in pieces...did someone fix us??” The Toy Chica gasped as she tried to look herself over.

  “Not very well if we can't move.” Toy Bonnie griped.

  “You...you don't remember?” Fritz asked weakly.

  He jumped when the door burst open behind him. “We hear you scream, are you...”

  Mike froze. The chicken smiled. “Hi!”

  “....um....?”

  Fritz finally got to his feet. “Mike! Holy shit Mike, why are they on?? I thought Jeremy wasn't going to fully fix them.”

  “Whaat? Isn't that his job?? Tell him he's awful at it.” The Toy Bonnie grumbled.

  “Now now. No need to be rude to the gentlemen. I'm sure they can inform Jeremy to please hurry. I would like to explore this new place.” Toy Freddy mused as he tried to look around.

  “What...what can you move?” Mike asked carefully.

  “Just our faces really. I have to admit, I'm mostly just amazed at being awake at all. I believe they scrapped us to the warehouse?” The bear went on.

  Fritz blinked, turning to Mike. “He sounds like a bigger asshole than the other freddy...”

  “Fritz!” Mike snapped, scowling.

  “Freddy?? Freddy's awake too?” The small bunny asked excitedly. “Does that mean the pizzaria is back in business?”

  Fritz made a noise. They really didn't have time for this. They had a killer ghost going around possessing animatronics and trying to kill them. Shit, if Vincent killed those kids and Jeremy had known for awhile now, the last thing the engineer needed was these stupid toys being around.

  “Yeah, we are...uh, look, we're dealing with something. I promise I'll talk to Jeremy but be patient?” Mike offered.

  “Oh, we can do that!” The Toy Chica said happily.

  They shared a look. Fritz quickly left the room, Mike following behind him. “What the hell...”

  “Are you okay? I mean...I know you and Jeremy have a history with them and...” Mike seemed to hesitate. “And...and before. You saved my ass.”

  Fritz felt his face get warm. “It's nothing.”

  Mike frowned, giving him a look. “He would've bitten my arm off.”

  “Okay, not nothing but...look, it was instinct okay? You didn't see him coming and I did.”

  “Still, thanks.” Mike said.

  They walked back towards where everyone had been. Bonnie was waiting, the bunny looking relieved to see them. Well, not them per say...Fritz tried not to make eye contact with the robot. Jeremy had explained how over protective they were of Mike, but he said to be especially wary around Bonnie.

  “Springtrap was a bit of a mess...so Jeremy decided to move to the office. He thought it'd be best if none of us were alone right now.” The animatronic explained.

  “Probably a good idea...we have no idea what he'll do next.” Mike mumbled, frowning.

  Fritz bit his lip. Right, time to fully confront it...Vincent had killed those kids right under their noses. And they had thought he was a great guy. How did he get away with it? They headed for the security room, but the red head hesitated. All the animatronics were in the halls, and he had been very careful up to this point to avoid them the best he could.

  “There a reason you scared the shit outta us all?” Jeremy called, peeking out. He grabbed Fritz's arm and dragged him inside quickly. “Nearly gave us a heart attack you know.”

  “We'll explain later.” Mike cut in quickly. The four humans squeezed themselves inside the small office. “Okay, before something even worse happens, what's going on?”

  Jeremy frowned, crossing his arms. “Well, Springtrap told me who our guy was. And it happens to be the guy Fritz and I worked with.”

  “Huh? You don't mean Scott, right?” Mark asked, looking shocked.

  “Nah, he's potentially off the hook. No, that's not a fucking pun,” The blond scowled when Foxy went to pipe in, the fox's jaw closing immediately. “Moron. Anyway, the guy I replaced on the night shift. Vincent, I don't remember much about him but apparently he's been with the place for a fucking long time.”

  “Scott said it'd been since the beginning. I guess he was really popular with the higher ups.” Fritz added, tapping his chin.

  Mike and Mark shared a look. “Popular?”

  “He was good at his job. He seemed good with kids, I guess, I never was around during the day. One night was enough for me.” Fritz shrugged weakly. “I'm just trying to remember what I heard from six years ago.”

  Mark nodded. “And...what? What does this do for us in stopping him?”

  “Well, for one, we can find out who he was and why he'd wanna kill some kids where he worked. Or how he got away with it. What he might be after.” Jeremy explained, shrugging. “It's a lead, I don't have all the answers.”

  “And do you remember anything?” Mike asked Fritz. “I know it was only the one time but...”

  Fritz sighed. “I only know what I've been told, and what I saw when Vincent, Scott and I were in the hospital to see Jeremy. He seemed...I dunno, he seemed like a good guy. He was really upset about what had happened to Jeremy, and he kept trying to cheer up Scott. I never would've expected...”

  “What about you guys? Do you remember anything?” Mike asked the animatronics.

  Freddy frowned at that, thinking, as the others shook their heads. “I don't believe so. We have trouble remembering much from the previous location, being stuck in the back.”

  “Fredbear and I knew him...he's been with us since opening.” Springtrap added softly. “I have some..trouble remembering but I remember stuff about him.”

  “You mind telling us what you can about him?” Mark asked.

  “Well, he loved kids. And, and he really liked his job, but sometimes he'd complain about the managers. Said they usually slacked and didn't pay attention. He'd get mad they made more money than him, I think.” Springtrap frowned, thinking hard. “Yeah, but one day he got really upset. And then he lured the kids into the back.”

  Mike hummed to himself. “It sounds like he had a beef with the higher ups then. Maybe he killed those kids to prove how incompetent they were.”

  “That seems...kinda lame.” Jeremy mumbled.

  “That's putting it lightly.” Fritz said.

  “If this guy is as insane as he seemed when we fought him, then I doubt it's something that simple. Or easy.” Mike shrugged, sighing.

  Springtrap grabbed Mark's shoulder, lightly shaking it. “I bet Fredbear would know. He was around between restaurants.”

  Mark blinked. “That's a good idea...where he is?”

  “In the kitchen. He was talking to the Marionette.”

  Mike gave them all a look. “We shouldn't all go...let's stick to pairs. If he goes after someone,  there's someone there to warn everyone else and try to stop him until help arrives.”

  “Uh, this is necessary...?” Fritz asked weakly.

  “Vincent possessed Springtrap last time and it was fucking hell. Trust us, it's necessary.” Jeremy answered.

  Springtrap looked ashamed. “I removed Jeremy's leg...”

  The red head felt himself pale. Springtrap had done that? He hadn't heard the full details. “Oh...”

  Mike nudged Mark. “We'll go talk to Golden Freddy. You guys stay in here...if you remember anything important, let us know.”

  They left, Bonnie and Chica following behind them. Freddy hesitated but settled for staying there with them. Fritz wasn't exactly happy with that, the huge bear was rather creepy. And oddly, Springtrap stayed too.

  “Is your head okay, Springtrap?” The brown bear asked when the bunny rubbed at it. There was an edge to it, like he was trying to be nice.

  “Hard drive is overheating. I think Vincent said why he killed them...when we were in the back. But I can't....remember...”

  Jeremy huffed. “It better not, calm down. Don't force it.”

  Fritz watched them nervously. He wished he could be of more help, but...well, he didn't know shit. So he just sat back with Jeremy as they waited in the office, wondering what Vincent would try next.

Xxxxxx

  “Goldie? You in here?” Mike called as they entered the kitchen.

  The gold bear looked up, confused, as the Marionette floated nearby. Well...the Head Guard had never seen the puppet do that before. He blinked, glancing at Mark but the other man just shrugged.

  **“** **Michael, what can I do for you?** **”** The bear asked.

  “We're sorry to bother you, but...well, we know the killer is an employee named Vincent. And Springtrap doesn't remember much about him. We...were hoping you could tell us more? We want to know what he might be after so we can stop him.” Mike explained.

  The two animatronics shared a look. Despite himself, he suddenly felt like they were being left out of the loop. What did they know that they weren't sharing with the rest of them? The puppet nodded slowly and Golden Freddy sighed.

  **“** **Vincent...You must understand, Michael, that we tried everything to prevent what happened. Despite the good intentions of our creators, our small restaurant seemed to be followed by disaster.** **”** The robot said softly.

  “We'd never assume it's your fault, Goldie.” Mark promised. “We all know first hand you only want to look after everyone. Sometimes to the point where you go a little crazy.”

  Mike elbowed him. The younger guard glared. “We'll listen to whatever you want to say.”

  Golden Freddy gave the Marionette another look before he nodded. **“** **A small child died outside our restaurant. Killed by an employee. I do not know his reasoning, but I was helpess as I watched him. And after that, I allowed him to merge into me. We agreed to make sure it never happened again...Years later, when Vincent killed those five children, I found that the fifth boy passed on peacefully, leaving me with just...the original.** **”**

  Mike felt his head spinning. “Wait...so, the fifth kid...he just passed on? You're still...possessed?”

  _“_ _In a way. You must understand, Michael, that there are rules. Some of the children cannot pass on from simple revenge._ _”_ The Marionette explained. He floated forward. _“_ _I once told you I had been avenged. That does not mean I am...released.._ _”_

  Mike felt like his head was spinning. Both Golden Freddy and the Marionette had spirits inside them still. And there was Vincent floating around, **plus** the two shadow animatronics. What the hell was going on here? He knew the place was haunted but...this seemed rather extreme. He felt completely in over his head.

  “Whoa, hold up.” Mark cut in, rubbing at his stubble. He was frowning, thinking intently. “So...there are still two children spirits here, fine. But what does that have to do with this guy trying to kill us?”

  **“** **There was a tragic accident, so long ago now. He blamed the others, for not paying attention. A young boy died.** **”** The bear went on, sighing. **“** **I am to blame, really. I was not awake, they had me on auto but the boy...they shoved him inside my mouth. I did not mean to but with him crying and yelling...** **”**

  “You bit down.” Mike summarized, paling. He shared a look with Mark, the two remembering the vision they'd had.

  “So...this kid died, and what? Made Vincent go insane? Possessed him??” Mark asked, confused.

  The Marionette sighed. _“_ _No. He is here. With me. We wanted to fix him._ _”_

  Fix him? Mike felt a chill go through him. Despite being fairly close to these animatronics, he felt unsafe around them at that moment. Mark was shifting next to him and the two seemed to notice their discomfort.

  Golden Freddy sighed. **“** **Vincent was always a little...too close to the children. Too touchy. The management warned him time and again about his behavior. And then, when the accident happened...something in him changed. Snapped, I believe. It took him a few years, and then he killed those children.** **”**

  “Why??” Mike demanded, sick of their vague answers.

  The Marionette turned away, looking ashamed as Golden Freddy placed a paw on its shoulder. **“** **It is no excuse of course, but...I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child.** **”**

  Mike froze up. Wait...He tried to think through all the visions he had. Of the man on the ground, crying for his son. That...that was him? The boy inside Fredbear's mouth had been...Vincent's son?

  “...his son died here?” Mike whispered, horrified.

  _“_ _It had been the boy's birthday. It took him six days before he finally passed. After that, well...I think we all know what happens._ _”_ The Marionette looked shaken.

  Mark began pacing. “So...okay, so this kid gets killed here, since no one was watching him. And Vincent goes fucking apeshit and killed some kids and you guys **knew** this and decided it didn't matter?? Even when we said we were having visions?”

  It was odd, seeing Golden Freddy looking cowed. **“** **We believed it did not matter. He had passed on, we thought. It was not until recently that we even put it together. But we must get him to move on.** **”**

“That's going to be pretty hard. I'd be pissed if my kid died here on his birthday...” Mike mumbled to himself. “I don't even know how to get him to move on. Maybe if he talked to his child's spirit?”

  He felt guilty when the Marionette flinched. _“_ _That...could be arranged. But then, all of us must be there. It is not just me, that he needs to say good-bye to._ _”_

  It was the odd glow in the Marionette's eyes that made Mike realize he was talking to the deceased child. “I'm sorry...I know this must be difficult.”

  The child shook its head. _“_ _I have Fredbear with me...I'm okay. Just, we need to make sure Foxy is there too, please._ _”_

  Foxy? Mark looked at him in confusion but Mike just shrugged. They had their plan. If they could lure Vincent out, they'd let the Marionette talk to him. Hopefully the pleading of his deceased son would be enough to send him on his way.

  “Let's get the others so we can plan on how to get Vincent.” Mike said.

  The younger guard nodded. “Sure...”

  They left quickly. Bonnie and Chica had been waiting outside, looking around cautiously. Mike doubted they'd see Vincent coming but he was grateful they were diligent. They made their way back to the security room, Mike looking around nervously.

  “Did Fredbear help?” Springtrap asked immediately, latching on to Mark to look him over.

  Mike slumped against the desk. “So, Vincent's kid died here horribly and he's pretty fucking insane.”

  “...wow, that was not what I was expecting at all...” Jeremy said, eyes wide.

  “He had a son??” Fritz gaped.

  “The child's spirit is inside the puppet. So we're hoping if they confront each other, Vincent will move on. But we have to be ready, and we gotta figure out how to get him here.”

  “...The creepy, touchy child killer had a son. Wow. Well fuck, you got anything to say about this, rusty?” Jeremy asked the bunny.

  Springtrap blinked before he perked up. “Oh! Of course, I remember. Poor boy didn't really like me much, but he loved Fredbear. But he'd usually hide under the tables and cry.” The bunny scowled suddenly, making Mike inch away from him. “He had an awful big brother, always teasing him and scaring him. We wanted to intervene but...”

  “What happened to the brother?” Mike asked.

  “Oh, Vincent killed him last I think.”

  It went very quiet. The other animatronics looked horrified by the information and the humans weren't much better off. Jeremy rubbed at his eyes, sighing and Fritz put a hand on his shoulder.

  “Why...?” Mike asked softly, eyes wide. “His...he lost his other son, why kill him?”

  “Well, I mean...the big brother was the one who put him in Fredbear's mouth. He was a really bad kid.” Springtrap explained, frowning. “But he didn't deserve that. He seemed like he didn't even want to come back, but Vincent made him. Stuck him in the back, and then grabbed the others.”

  Mike thought back to the vision he'd had, of being the first boy killed. He tried to remember what the kids had looked like, but it was fuzzy. Okay, then what did Vincent look like? Back in the last vision? He rubbed at his eyes, trying to remember.

  **_“_** ** _They're having a party and not inviting us! How cruel. After all we've done!_** ** _”_**

  Jeremy groaned. “Aw shit, not now.”

  The shadow bunny peered out at them from the window. Fritz swore, backing away, asking what the hell was going on. He backed right into the black Freddy, yelping at the coldness and nearly leaping into Mark.

  **_“_** ** _Best to keep it from your mind. They think only of themselves._** ** _”_**

 ** _“_** ** _No no! Not our Marked One, not with how highly he thinks of us all. Right, Mike?_** ** _”_** The bunny giggled, easing through the security room walls. **_“_** ** _You'd never turn on us right?_** ** _”_**

  Mike felt his heart racing in his chest. “W-what are you talking about?”

  He had to cover his ears when the bear roared angrily. **_“_** ** _Morons. Imbeciles! Best to be left to rot, they are, best to leave them on their own._** ** _”_**

 ** _“_** ** _But the finale! We come so close._** ** _”_** Shadow Bonnie whined.

  “What the hell are you guys? What do you even want from us?” Mark demanded, but Springtrap covered his mouth.

  The two shadows looked at him, only for the bunny to gasp. **_“_** ** _Oh dear. Our precious Spring Bunny! Our little salvage, all put back together! No corpses, or holes._** ** _”_**

**** **_“_ ** **_And yet still full of locks._ ** **_”_ **

  Springtrap hissed at them. “Your talking always hurts my ears. Go away.”

  “Why can you talk to them like that and I can't?” Mark grumbled.

  Mike wondered why Springtrap would talk to them like that at all, if he knew what they were, but the dark bunny flinched back and hid under the desk. The Head Guard shared a confused look with Jeremy. What the hell was going on tonight.

  **_“_** ** _It hurts, such cruelty. He kills me and yet banishes me away._** ** _”_**

  “No no no. I didn't make the springlocks go off, I didn't!” Springtrap scowled.

  “Whoa, wait. So, you guys are ghosts?” Mike asked the two shadows. That seemed too simple.

  **_“_** ** _What else could we be, boy?_** ** _”_** The Shadow Freddy demanded.

  “Irritating.” Springtrap chimed in.

  **_“_** ** _Come now, no more! The salvage kills and yet mocks. Leave them to the ghost, they are beyond even our help._** ** _”_**

  “Hey, wait...” Mike tried to cut in but the bunny was gone. He turned and so was the shadowy bear. “Seriously, what is going on tonight??”

  “What even are those guys?” Fritz demanded.

  “Springtrap, do you know? I mean, Golden Freddy didn't exactly go into much detail.” Mike asked hesitantly.

  The gold bunny made a face, thinking. Likely pondering if he wanted to answer the question since it was him that asked, but a nudge from Freddy made him sigh. “I dunno, they've been around for awhile...”

  “Ya not be a good liar, lad.” Foxy cut in.

  “I wasn't programmed to be...” Still, Springtrap huffed. “Well, they used to be entertainers. They'd wear Fredbear and I on Vincent's day off, or if he was on the floor. I guess the springlocks went off and killed them.”

  “That was on those tapes.” Jeremy said. “Holy shit that was a long fucking time ago. But remember? The springlocks were sensitive to breathing and moisture. They ended up storing them away.”

  Mike nodded. “So they were the ones killed?”

  “Ones? Well, sorta. I think...ten died in the other me suit.” Springtrap shrugged.

  “This company is fucked up.” Fritz grumbled.

  “I hate to interrupt, but you haven't discussed what we should do about our...guest floating around.” Freddy said.

  Chica frowned. “Are we going to draw him out?”

  Mike tapped his chin, trying to think. “I...I think I have an idea.”

xxxxxx


	14. Break Me 'Till I Fall Apart

_“_ _Sometimes I think you're too soft._ _”_

_He paused, glancing over to where Scott was sitting. They'd come back to the hospital without Fritz. The red haired boy had been fired after a night since he'd tampered with the robots AI and apparently, they hadn't liked that much. He'd been a mess in the morning. But the two of them couldn't leave Jeremy here by himself._

_“_ _Coming from you?_ _”_ _He shot back wryly._

_“_ _Hush. I'm just saying, this kid's been working here for a week. If this was anyone else, you wouldn't be here._ _”_

_Vincent rolled his eyes._ _“_ _If ya got something to say..._ _”_

_“_ _I'm just saying, it's...it's a similar situation, right? Compared to what happened-_ _”_

_“_ _Except newbie lived._ _”_

_Scott's mouth clicked shut. The two sat there in silence as Jeremy laid completely unmoving. Sometime's he'd make a noise, shift ever so slightly to show he was indeed alive, but they were few and far between. Vincent began bouncing his leg as they sat there._

_“_ _None of us could've expected this._ _”_

_“_ _What, that the glitching fox that has exposed wiring would glitch and nearly bite someone's head off?_ _”_ _He asked scathenly._ _“_ _Only way it coulda been worse if it was a kid. There'd be nothing left._ _”_

_“_ _Vincent-_ _”_

_“_ _Oh wait except that did happen and no one was fucking paying attention to stop it._ _”_

_“_ _Shutfuckingdown._ _”_

_They both froze as Jeremy moved in bed. His eyes were open, but heavily glazed over as his mouth opened and closed rapidly. Scott got up, hesitating before he went to grab a nurse. Vincent stared. The blond was sweating heavily and slowly began thrashing around. The IV ripped itself out of his arm, staining the bedsheets red._

_His son hadn't moved. Was it better or worse? That he hadn't suffered, or hadn't given the chance to fix himself?_

_He considered leaving. He'd been trying his damnest to hide it, but this was too similar. Seeing the bandages all over Jeremy's face, the bloodstains, the red skin that hinted at the injuries hidden away...He needed to keep himself together, least someone see. He'd been very careful of disassociating with that incident these many years._

_And yet he couldn't. Jeremy had no one here. His parents hadn't shown up yet, despite it being a month since the accident, and he could die at any time. Healing or not, if they couldn't wake him up...The black haired man realized he was breathing hard. His little boy had died alone._

_Jeremy would not follow those footsteps._

Xxxxx

  _“_ _Do you think this will work? He always comes back._ _”_

  Golden Freddy glanced back at the black puppet. It was shifting nervously, the white glowing pupils looking everywhere. They were still in the kitchen, waiting for Mike to give them a sign that he needed them.

  **“** **I cannot say.** **”**

  _“_ _You know it's unlikely. Springtrap still carries around his remains. Even from here, I can feel it. Anger like this is not easily passed on._ _”_ The Marionette went on. Its shifting increased. _“_ _Even worse is if the others are killed. If they are, what shall we do with them?_ _”_

  The gold bear hesitated ever so slightly. He remembered far too long ago, when the little boy begged him for something he didn't understand. That his older brother couldn't be left like that, decaying and in agony, crumbled up in the back room. Swore he knew how to fix things, just as he had done for him.

  **“** **You'd force them into the same purgatory we ourselves hide in?** **”** He asked curiously.

  _“_ _Perhaps. If it made them happy. They could stay with us._ _”_

  Sometimes he had to remind himself how young he'd been when he died. **“** **And you'd make them hate you forever. Make them hate us. The Joy of Creation is not used so lightly.** **”**

  The Marionette's iris's faded. Maybe he'd been too harsh? But the boy needed to understand. His brother had been so angry at being stuck to haunt the suit. To be forced inside, in a heap, and not allowed to pass on. He couldn't even recognize his own little brother through the cry of betrayal and vengence.

  _“_ _We will do what we need to._ _”_

Xxxx

  Jeremy really hated this plan. Even more so because he knew if he complained, Mike would stop it and try to think of something else. And they didn't have time for a new plan. But the stupid puppet promised it would stay hidden and would stay as the child spirit and Fritz was sticking close in case anything went wrong.

  “You...you really think he'll show up?” Fritz asked softly. He kept looking over his shoulder wildly.

  “The asshole's got something to say, he'll say it.” Jeremy shrugged.

  The secret room had been given a firm lock, since management wasn't sure what to do with it. Boarding it up would reflect badly on them, and trying to plaster it back up would take too much time. But, Mike had said, since Vincent had died back there, there was a chance his spirit was hiding in that room. Or would be more likely to show up in there.

  “Can we quit this job after this?” Fritz went on.

  “If we live.”

  He unlocked the safe room and turned on his flashlight. The room still smelt awful, like mold and mothballs. At least the scent of decay and rotting meat wasn't lingering anymore. The room had its boxes of old posters and pictures, but now also had shelves and cleaning supplies. It'd definitely been cleaned up and organized slightly.

  “Kinda wonder if any poor asshole left something in here before it was sealed. You know, besides the dead body.” Jeremy mumbled.

  Fritz visibly shuddered. “I can see the bloodstains...”

  “Then don't look over there. Consider us lucky. Springtrap caught us completely unaware last time. And we didn't have our robot friends helping us out. If they had, I coulda kept my leg.”

  It might have come out a bit more bitterly than he meant. Shrugging, he headed over to where they'd found Springtrap. There were indeed still bloodstains on the floor. The engineer sighed, not sure if he should try yelling at Vincent to get his ass out here or not.

  “Ya haven't even put it together yet, have ya newbie?”

  Jeremy whirled around. Nothing. His heart began racing; a horrible thought entered his head at that moment. What if...what if seeing Vincent and randomly hearing his voice wasn't a coicedence? Hadn't it been for a few months now? They all knew he'd been a ghost, it wasn't a surprise that he was here. But why him? Why did he see a ghost long before the others did? How did it follow him home? Why had he been so sure he was imagining things that he hadn't mentioned it before?

  “Relax, kid. Ain't gonna hurt ya. Forgive me for before, I didn't even recognize you. Being dead for a good thirty years does that. Guess I should apologize for the eye too, hm?” Vincent cooed at him. Jeremy still couldn't find where he was coming from.

  “I know about your kid.” the blond whispered. Fritz gave no indication he'd heard Vincent so he'd rather not spook him. Not yet.

  “Yeah, cuz I had to show your moron friends. Ya need better company.” Vincent said.

  “I kinda want to hope you're doing this shit outta revenge so you're not just a giant asshole.”

  He almost tapped his foot. He still wasn't seeing Vincent. The ghost was keeping himself out of sight. When he didn't respond, he huffed and went to grab Fritz. Maybe they should begin looking around at all of these stupid posters for something...

  “Poor little newbie...”

  Jeremy froze, gasping when pain burst through him. He tried to grab at his eye; it burned so bad. He couldn't see anything but black and white dots. He vaguely heard Fritz calling for him as he fell to his knees, scratching at his eye lid until suddenly, he couldn't move.

  “Jeremy, are you okay?? What happened?” Fritz asked, kneeling next to him.

  Jeremy went to tell him to fuck off. His eyes were watering and holy shit did it ache. Each pulse of his heartbeat cause another wave of pain through his eye and into his brain. But his mouth didn't move. Actually, nothing did. Maybe he was in shock.

  “He didn't even see it coming.”

  No...

  “Who didn't? Vincent? I'd think not...you said the suit gave out on him right?” Fritz mumbled, looking confused. He got himself up, offering the engineer a hand. “Come on, we gotta find Vincent in here.”

  Jeremy took it without his own permission. He was beginning to panic. His body wasn't listening. He wasn't in control. What happened? What had Vincent done to him?

  “Jeremy? Come on, let's bring you back to the office. Your eye is really red, it looks almost infected...let's get someone to look at it, like Mark. Have you been taking care of it?”

  “Get off me...I'm fine. Fuck I need some painkillers or something.” Jeremy tried to yell and thrash against whatever it was controlling him. It couldn't be him, how, why? “Maybe I should just get an eyepatch.”

  Fritz gave a chuckle, no idea that the blond was trying to scream at him. “Foxy would like that. Come on, let's get you something. We'll come back.”

xxxxxx

  “You having any...second thoughts?”

  Mike paused from looking through Jeremy's toolbox. He and Mark were in the backroom, trying to find anything they could use to defend themselves. It hadn't done much good last time, but it was better to be prepared. Springtrap, Bonnie, Chica and Freddy were also there, mostly to make sure nothing happened to them.

  “What do you mean?” He asked curiously.

  Mark sighed, looking uncomfortable. “I mean...I dunno. The guy's kid died. We saw what happened. I can't imagine...”

  “I feel bad for the kid. But he went off and killed his other son out of some kind of revenge. He's not to be pitied.” Mike said sternly.

  “Right. I guess I just don't understand...even if his older son caused it, to hurt him...” Mark ran a hand through his hair. “I can't even pretend to know what would be going through his head at the time.”

  “Vincent was always weird! We kept an eye on him though, he always sent little warning bells through us. Mangle really hated him!”

  They both jumped. Toy Chica grinned back. “Oh right...forgot about you guys...”

  “You're supposed to be helping us!” Toy Bonnie argued, scowling.

  “You guys are awake??” Chica ran over with the others, Springtrap looking very confused. “We thought maybe you were too broken.”

  “And you guys look so new! I'm so happy to see you guys alright.”

  Mike rubbed at his temple as Mark gave him a look. He'd completely forgot...and they didn't have time to do anything about them. Hell, he had no idea where Mangle's pieces were or what Foxy was doing. He'd be lucky if he didn't have a heartattack after this.

  “They don't seem hostile...” Freddy said to the two guards.

  Mike shook his head. “They remembered Fritz but not...in a bad way. And they know who Vincent and Jeremy are.”

  “Of course we remember. Jeremy was going to be fixing us all...but then there was the accident.” The Toy Freddy sighed sadly. “Poor, dear Mangle. They didn't mean to hurt Jeremy.”

  “...they bit his face off...” Mike hissed.

  The blue bunny tried to vehemently shake his head. “No really! It was our fault too, we never should've let Mangle out when they were so bad off. They were getting worse, and the glitching was increasing. They really didn't know it was Jeremy!”

  Mike frowned at that. What? They hadn't meant to attack Jeremy? That seemed a little too convienent, especially since they needed Jeremy to fix them. He raised an eyebrow before going back to the toolbox. The smaller bunny huffed.

  “Whatever we still need to get ready. Chica, can you grab Foxy? We really should stick together, I have no idea where Goldie went...”

  Chica nodded. She gave her toy version a hug before she left the room. Mike grabbed a flashlight and a small hammer, putting it through his pants beltloop before shaking himself off to get ready to potentially face the murderer once again.

  “You look much better with a face. And both arms.” Toy Bonnie said. “And why is there a gold bunny?”

  Springtrap's head cocked to the side. “...Am I a grandpa?”

  “No, Spring...” Mark sighed. “He's a new model. Remember? I explained this stuff to you.”

  “Ohhh, you're Spring Bonnie?? Bonnie talked about you a lot!” The little bunny looked excited. “I'm Bon Blu~”

  Mike looked confused. Bon Blu? Then again, they probably didn't want to all be called 'Bonnie' when there were three of them running around...He shrugged. With how different they were, it wasn't that surprising.

  “Call me Springtrap please.”

  “I'm really sorry guys, but you have to wait a little longer.” Mike told the toys. “Jeremy is dealing with something so we have to go help him.”

  The Toy Freddy nodded. “We understand. It's not fun, being only a head, but we'll make due.”

  Well...the toy version of Freddy seemed nicer. Bemused, Mike nodded and motioned for Mark to follow him out. They went into the dining room, looking around to make sure nothing was going on. Foxy was still nowhere in sight, and he had no idea why the fox was hiding away. And Goldie and Marionette were still in the kitchen.

  “Foxy was...kinda involved in things. Before.” Bonnie said, likely seeing his expression. “The spirit inside him was the eldest son.”

  Mike paused. “...but...but that spirit moved on??”

  The two animatronics nodded. “He did. But those memories are still ingrained into us. It was hard enough for Foxy to face this awful man with the child inside him. But to do so again, alone now...” Freddy explained softly.

  That...definitely explained why Foxy didn't want to be there last time. He never held it against the animatronics that they'd been too afraid to face against Vincent. Everything was Vincent's fault. They'd send him to hell once and for all.

  “We'll make sure this is the last time then.”

  Bonnie smiled. “And we'll help this time.”

  Mike snorted. He remembered the robots grappling each other around the restaurant and he definitely counted that as helping. But he just nodded. He was going to say they should get back to the security office, wait for Jeremy's signal on what was going on, but Springtrap suddenly went stiff.

  “He's here.”

  Mark looked around, trying to find him. And Mike felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise as a cold sweat overtook him. They could do it. Whatever it took, they'd do it. Taking in a deep breath, he glanced towards the hidden room.

  “Jeremy?” He called.

  Nothing. They must've been back in the security room then. His grip on the flashlight tightened. “Okay, plan for now...we need to get back to the office.”

  “You don't think he's hurt them...right?” Mark asked nervously.

  “Shouldn't we look? Just in case?” Springtrap asked, frowning. “What if Vincent hurts him?”

  “I guess if we all go together...” Mark mumbled, looking uncomfortable. “At least now we won't find Spring sitting in there.”

  The bunny preened at that. Mike almost rolled his eyes. “I guess...”

  He noticed that Bonnie and Freddy stayed close. Springtrap was also keeping close to Mark, but the bunny usually clung to him anyway. Nothing new then. Mike peeked into the hidden room and frowned, not seeing anyone inside. Then they had definitely left...maybe Vincent wouldn't reveal himself yet.

  **_“_** ** _You come far too late, my dears._** ** _”_**

  The shadow bunny peeked out from behind the door. Mike nearly fell back, but Bonnie caught him. He looked around but didn't see the Shadow Freddy anywhere. “Um?”

  Despite the smile stuck on the shadow's face, its ears drooped. **_“_** ** _Our ghosty has moved on and stumped our employees. How saddened we are, to see them go. We had hoped no more would join us here._** ** _”_**

  “Wait...is Jeremy and Fritz okay??” Mike demanded.

  **_“_** ** _There is such a valley between alive and okay. For the angry one to go, far beyond our reach..._** ** _”_** The shadow heaved a sigh, merging into the shadows and peeking out from underneath a shelf. **_“_** ** _And yet, we all must face what the establishment has created._** ** _”_**

  “If you want to be helpful, why don't you tell us why this asshole killed his own kid.” Mark asked.

  **_“_** ** _No no! We dare not, for soon it will not matter. Our precious prison and coffin, he knows too well! He has decided not to share._** ** _”_**

  The Shadow Bonnie motioned towards Springtrap, who looked unamused. “I don't remember any of that.”

  “We'll discuss this later, we need to see if Jeremy and Fritz are okay.” Mike cut in.

  Mark made a face but nodded. Mike knew he really, really hated the shadowy ghosts. “Right...”

  They went to leave, but Mike hesitated. “Uh, thanks. For the warning.”

  Shadow Bonnie sighed. **_“_** ** _We shall look so forward to you joining us in the void..._** ** _”_**

  Mike swallowed. Void? But Bonnie motioned for him to go, not wanting him to linger on the ghost. He noticed that the purple bunny and Freddy flanked either side of him now. While he certainly felt safer, walking in the restaurant, he couldn't help but wonder if Jeremy shouldn't have had them instead...

  If anything happened to him...Mike couldn't even begin to think of what he would do to Vincent...

_xxxxx_


	15. Now Begin

  “Of course they aren't here...” Fritz grumbled, seeing the security room empty. “Where did they even go?”

  “Who fucking cares?” Jeremy muttered as he grabbed the tablet and sat in the chair.

  The red head sighed, running a hand through his hair as he watched the blond. “I guess not. But it's not really smart to make a plan and then run off. What if we had gotten attacked?”

  “Then we'd be fucked. Now sit down while I look for them.”

  Fritz sat on the edge of the desk. It was...odd though that Mike would take off. While they disagreed about nearly everything at Freddy's, he knew that the Head Guard took protecting Jeremy seriously. The two seemed inseparable. Maybe something had happened?

  “They're just in the dining room. Mark looks like he's going to have a fucking heart attack.” Jeremy said, offering the tablet.

  “I think after tonight I might too...” he mumbled to himself as he took it.

  He watched them walk towards the office. Frowning, Fritz changed the camera. Goldie and the Puppet were in the kitchen, talking but he couldn't hear what they were saying. Probably for the best. He quick changed again, confused when he stopped on Pirate's Cove.

  “What's Foxy doing?” He asked. Jeremy gave him a look. “Okay, geez, sorry...I just thought it was weird he wasn't with them okay?”

  Then again...he peeked again. The fox was sitting on the huge ship and the newest employee saw something white sprawled along the floor. He swallowed. Was that...Mangle? Was the fox really trying to put it together? He definitely didn't want to show Jeremy then. Bad enough the toys were awake...

  “You guys scared the shit out of us!” Mike snapped when he came in.

  “We thought you were dead! Or being tortured! But nooo, you're hanging out back here.” Mark added, arms crossed.

  Fritz chuckled nervously. “Sorry...we couldn't get Vincent to show up and I think there's something wrong with Jeremy's eye. It got really red and started hurting him.”

  Mark frowned. “Didn't I tell you to take care of that??”

  “Right with all that money I have right?” Jeremy grumbled, huffing as the guard came over to inspect him.

  “Pretty sure you could make Lansdale pay for it. Or else we all go on strike.”

  Jeremy rolled his eye as Mark made him turn his head. He took his flashlight and began examining his bad eye, trying to see what might have caused the irritation. Fritz shifted, worried. He really hoped Jeremy was alright. He'd been in agony earlier and he might've been trying to hide it now in front of the others.

  “Definitely irritation. Possible that the infection is spreading. I don't wanna freak you out but it might be better to get that eye removed completely...” Mark mumbled, looking upset.

  “Forgive me if I get a second opinion.” Jeremy said.

  Mike snorted. “I'll go with you to the hospital once we get this shit sorted.”

  “What, so you can hold my hand?”

  Fritz sighed. “Okay, so since we know we can't do anything about it now, should we figure out what we're going to do?? Cuz Vincent didn't show and we don't have any idea how to get him to.”

  “I may have to ask Goldie and the Marionette for help...they're the ones that know what's going on I guess...” Mike said.

  “Our problem is we have no idea what the hell the douchebag wants.” Mark said dryly.

  “We don't?” Springtrap suddenly cut in, confused.

  Fritz flinched slightly. He nearly forgot the animatronics were there; he much preferred it that way. But he blinked when he noticed Jeremy did as well. Oh right. The angle...he hadn't realized that Jeremy couldn't see at all from that eye. The engineer hid it well.

  “No? Remember we had this whole discussion??” Mark gave the bunny a look.

  Springtrap frowned, tapping on his chin. Hadn't he mentioned something about having problems remembering stuff? Maybe he finally did, but he didn't dare ask. Not after seeing the gold robot nearly kill Mike earlier.

  “Ya finally remember anything?” Jeremy asked.

  “Maybe...? Um, it kinda all blurs together. I think...I think he wanted to force them to stop. Or close down? No...” Springtrap rubbed at his head. “He mentioned kids, but...”

  “Don't force it.” Bonnie gently cut in, pulling the other robot's hand away.

  “It's best if you let it come to you slowly, Springtrap.” Chica added.

  Freddy rolled his eyes carefully where the gold bunny couldn't see. “Maybe you should stay with Goldie for now, Springtrap? If you wait here with us, you'll continue trying to remember and it might do more damage than good.”

  “Can't have your hard drive frying...” Jeremy mumbled.

  Springtrap frowned, looking torn. Fritz almost smiled. The bunny was oddly protective of Mark for whatever reason. Maybe it was a bunny animatronic thing, but he obviously didn't want to leave the guard alone just in case.

  “I need to be here to help. But really, Spring, not much can happen to me here.” Mark offered, grinning.

  The bunny's ears drooped. “I guess not...”

  “Think of it as a break. Don't worry, we'll look after him. We know how helpless they are.” Chica patted his arm as he reluctantly left.

  “I think...I have a fucking idea.” Jeremy suddenly cut in.

  Mike looked confused. “What is it?”

  “Vincent might be hiding out to get us to separate. Obviously we can't fall for that shit, right? So, we split up again in pairs. But me and Fritz being in the room might've been too fucking obvious, we're sending the two assholes that he used to work with right?” Jeremy said.

 “Does that even matter?? He's a ghost, he can likely see through any of our crap.” Mark argued.

“If ya have a better idea...” He drawled slightly, giving the guard a look.

  “It leaves us vulnerable...only two humans, no animatronics. We'd have to wait until they can hear us calling if Vincent shows.” Mike frowned.

  Fritz sighed. “But we're riding on that anyway right? We need the puppet to show up.”

  Mike shifted, thinking. Behind him, the robot band looked on, worried. “Mr. Fitzgerald, are you sure none of us could accompany you?”

  “He'd never show.” Jeremy answered, frowning.

  “We could wait in here and watch.” Bonnie offered weakly.

  Mike nodded. “Yeah...it sucks, but we need to try it. Otherwise we have to sit here and wait for him to make a move and we don't want to go that route again. We're not being hunted, not this time.”

  “What should me and Fritz do then?” Mark asked.

  “Fuck if I know. Wait in here with them?”

  Mike rolled his eyes. “It'd probably be safer here with Freddy and everyone. And you grab Goldie and the Marionette when something happens.”

  “Lot of responsibility you're giving us...” The younger guard mumbled. He seemed to be sweating nervously.

  “Relax. Ya not havin' permanent injuries this time, right?” Jeremy smirked.

  Fritz paused. Weird...Jeremy seemed to be talking differently. Then again, he'd seemed tired lately. And being put through this again, when it had damaged him so thoroughly, was probably causing him distress. The red head frowned and swallowed nervously. He really, really wanted nothing bad to happen to Jeremy.

  “Then let's go. Mark, Fritz, keep an eye on us best you can but don't focus on us. He might be watching and waiting for an opening.” Mike said.

  “Be careful Mike...” Bonnie muttered softly as Chica hugged him a little too tightly.

  Mike chuckled. “After all this, I don't have time to die tonight.”

  Jeremy snorted and left the room. After giving a crooked smile, Mike followed after him. Fritz shifted the tablet in his hands, trying to calm down his racing heart.

  Something felt so horribly wrong and he had no idea what it was.

Xxxxxx

  “You're okay, right? I mean, having this all thrown at you and it being someone you knew...” Mike offered softly once they arrived in the dining room.

  Jeremy gave him a look. The guard shrugged sheepishly. “I'm not a bitch, Mike. Ya gotta give me more credit than that.”

  The brunette blinked at that. Something felt off...He shrugged it off. Of course things felt wrong. They were fighting against ghosts and trying to send them to hell.

  “I know. You're still here, right? But you're probably my best friend Jeremy, and shit always seems to happen to you.”

  He saw the other grin at that. Jeremy shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “Appreciate it, Mike. Ya sap.”

  They headed for the hidden room. Mike turned on the light, wincing at the smell. Mothballs, gross. He peered into the boxes and at the new shelves, seeing posters and cleaning supplies and what looked like an older Freddy Fazbear hat. Mike carefully grabbed it, looking it over.

  “Look under the brim. We'd have to write our names on them.” Jeremy said.

  Mike chuckled. “Odd thing to remember isn't it?”

  He held the hat to the light; the ink had faded quite a bit in the many years it'd been sitting back here. His heart clenched. Scott was written in messy handwriting. He still had no idea what had happened to him. Mike held the hat close, taking in a deep breath to calm himself down.

  “Scott's...”

  Jeremy stiffened. His bad eye was definietly inflamed, the white was completely red and it gave his usually bright green iris an odd look to it. They'd definitely need to take him to the hospital despite his dismisal before.

  “...Poor bastard...” Jeremy mumbled softly. “Leave it out of your mind, Mike. One thing at a time.”

  Mike nodded, sighing. He put the hat on a shelf. He'd remember it, maybe offer it to Jill when she next came to the restaurant. She'd probably appreciate having it. He moved along, seeing a watch that had likely been left in the room, a sweater, nametags and keys. He hoped they weren't important keys. He paused at the end of the shelf, sighing as he turned to Jeremy. They needed to wait of course but he was on edge. They were waiting to be attacked.

  “Might as well sit down. Not going anywhere for awhile.” Jeremy said. He slid down against the wall, as far away from the blood stains in the corner as possible.

  Mike went next to him. It felt weird, sitting on this floor. Vincent had died here. He had lured kids back here and murdered them. A sudden chill went through the guard as he huddled against the wall. He tried to think of something else, rather than the vivid nightmare he'd had, of being that poor child that had been stabbed. His stomach ached at the memory.

  “Do you remember anything? With what's going on?”

  The engineer ran a hand through his hair, briefly rubbing at the circular scars. “No. I'm not remembering shit.”

  “Well, it doesn't matter anyway. We'll end this crap tonight and go on with our lives.” Mike tried to sound confident. He then sighed. “I wonder if Scott knew about any of this.”

  “Nah. He'd have no idea.”

  The guard paused. “You sound sure.”

  “Trust me. From the vague fucking memories I got, he wasn't part of it. And call it intuition.” Jeremy smirked.

  “Intuition? He worked just as long as Vincent did, right? Still, I guess it's not important...”

  “Scott couldn't hurt anyone. Probably why he kept working here for so long, ya know? He'd never give up on them, especially his precious stupid ass fox.” Jeremy said.

  Mike chuckled. He wish he had the opportunity to meet Scott. Or at least know what happened and give his widow closure. The two fell silent as they sat there, both thinking. Mike glanced over at Jeremy, frowning when he saw him fiddling with his fake leg.

  “It hurt?”

  “Hm? Nah, just...sometimes the nerves feel odd. Like there's somethin' there, ya know? Just something to get used to.” The engineer shrugged it off.

  “I've heard of that...Maybe you could build yourself a new leg? Something flashier?” Mike offered, grinning.

  Jeremy snorted. “Just what I want, to bring more attention to myself. Still, might be better than something so flimsy.”

  Silence again. The Head Guard began tapping his foot. He wasn't sure if he'd ever been this on edge before. His first night six? Facing down Springtrap? But this was different. Somehow, something felt so different, the stakes were different.

  “All this because one guy couldn't parent his kids...” He mumbled.

  Jeremy paused, glancing at him. “Ya mean cuz one guy didn't know how to fucking handle trauma.”

  “If he'd parented his kids and maybe taught his oldest to not put his brother into a machine's mouth, none of this would've happened.” Mike pointed out.

  “Nah, this probably would've happened anyway. He killed before then.”

  The brunette paused. “...Goldie, right?”

  “Yeah. He's the first. Shit happened already, it'd just be a different scenario than this I guess...”

  Goldie had been first...they'd learned that right? The Marionette had said something along those lines when he'd explained what Vincent had done. But...had Mike or Mark mentioned Goldie at all? The feeling of dread and wrongness suddenly lurched his stomach.

  “Maybe he would've waited, though. Maybe he wouldn't be a fucking ghost for how many years.”

  Jeremy snorted a laugh. “Being dead thirty years will do that to ya, Mike.”

  As the blond began fiddling again, Mike froze. It was a simple mistake. Jeremy had just made a mistake, but...but Jeremy would never get something like that wrong. Trying to be cautious, he slowly grabbed the small wrench from his belt loop. His hands were shaking. Everything had tensed up and ached.

  “...thirty years...”

  “Hm?” Jeremy glanced up, his bad eye now bright red and the iris stained. “Yeah. Can't imagine, ya know?”

  Mike's grip on the wrench tightened. “Vincent died six years ago.”

  Neither of them moved. The engineer had frozen up, and the room suddenly felt suffocating. Too dark, too small. Finally Jeremy sat up properly and looked at him, a too wide smile spreading across his face.

  “Sorry. Sometimes I have trouble picking my memories apart from that fucking gold rust bucket.”

  His iris had been stained purple.

Xxxxxxx


	16. Time for the Main Attraction

  Mark's leg was bouncing as he sat in the chair. Fritz was looking through the tablet still, since it apparently gave him some kind of reassurance and the guard didn't really even know the other well so he decided to keep out of it. Why did they agree to this? Waiting for something bad to happen was the worst. And he could tell the animatronics were on edge, as Freddy stood there, looking stiff even for being a robot and Bonnie was pacing in the hallway.

  “I can't believe this guy managed to fool so many people for so long.” He finally said.

  Fritz jumped at the sudden noise before laughing nervously. “I can't believe he would kill his own kid.”

  “Yeah...” Mark tried to force himself to stop jittering, sitting up in the chair. “So, uh...you and Jeremy okay? With this dude knowing you both?”

  “Not...really. I mean, I can't say how Jeremy feels. He doesn't really remember it, but...well, I tried to come back. To the hospital. And it seemed like Vincent and Scott visited him all the time. I never joined them cuz I had Fazbear Entertainment on my ass about what I did to the toys so...” Fritz gave a nervous chuckle.

  “It makes sense in hindsight.” Freddy cut in. “His son had very similar circumstances, yet Mr. Fitzgerald lived.”

  “I definitely don't think Vincent thought of Jeremy as his son.” The red head mumbled as he tapped on different cameras.

  Mark raised an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

  “He didn't kill him?” Fritz offered weakly. He then sighed. “I dunno, I mean...It's not really my business and I wasn't around like Scott was but it...I dunno, kinda seemed like Vincent had a thing for Jeremy was all. I think Scott knew too. He kept teasing him about stuff, when they both weren't...you know, scared.”

  Mark frowned at that. “A thing...?”

  “Jeremy said...Scott died right? So there's no way we can ask him?”

  “Goldie got to him.” Bonnie answered.

  Fritz paled slightly. “Oh...”

   “Wait.” Mark stopped him from switching cameras. “What's Foxy doing?”

  “Talking to Mangle. He always runs stuff by Mangle.” Chica said, shrugging. “Why?”

  “Does he have any idea what seeing that thing will do to Jeremy?? It's bad enough that the toys woke up on their own.” Mark said. He stood up, tempted to run to Pirate's Cove and yell at the fox himself.

  “Mr. Pliers...” The guard paused as Freddy lightly tapped his chin, looking like he was thinking. “Do you believe it's...odd, for them to make their return the moment this Vincent appears? That they're awake on their own when they have a connection to Mr. Fitzgerald?”

  “Now that you mention it...” Mark mumbled, frowning. He jumped when Fritz dropped the tablet. “Hey! That thing's expensive you know-”

  “Vincent is totally Jeremy right now!”

  “What does that even mean??” He demanded.

  Fritz pulled himself off of the desk, nearly falling over. “He, he was talking weird and I thought it was because shit's happening and was affecting him but he didn't want to show it but...but Vincent totally used to talk like that I swear!”

  “He...did repossess Springtrap...” Bonnie pointed out softly.

  Mark gaped at them. “Fuck! We need to grab the others and get to Mike then-”

  “Get them. We'll handle Mike.” Freddy said as the three immediately disappeared down the hallway.

  “You seriously remember how he used to talk??” Mark demanded as they began racing towards the kitchen.

  “You hear how he talked and I promise you'll remember it, okay?”

xxxxx

  “I should've expected ya to put it together. Ya don't seem very bright but newbie has a lot of faith in ya.”

  Mike pulled himself to his feet, hands shaking as he held the wrench out in front of him. “Where's the real Jeremy?”

  The other sneered, which looked awkward and wrong on Jeremy's face. “Oh, this is the real Jeremy. He's just sittin' in the back is all.”

  “Get the fuck out of his head and face me!” Mike snapped.

  He took a few steps back as the other got up. It seemed so obvious now. He seemed to stand on Jeremy's prosthetic odd, not used to it being there, and there was an obvious differernt swagger to how he held himself. This wasn't Jeremy. Mike wasn't sure how none of them had noticed it yet, or how they hadn't figured it out. Jeremy didn't have an odd accented drawl like Vincent apparently did.

  “Now ya just relax, Mikey. See, we're gonna have a little chat before I make up on all those promises I didn't get a chance to get to from before.” Vincent said, limping to the side.

  The Head Guard backed away again, realizing too late that he was now blocked off from the door. “You're a sick fuck. Using Jeremy as some kind of human shield? You think that'll save you?? The others aren't going to stop-”

  “Oh, I don't expect them too. Now hush up.”

  “You were supposed to be his coworker, he mentioned you being a good guy, only for you to be some fucking child killer-”

  “I said, SHUT UP!”

  Mike flinched when the light flickered ominously, back hitting the wall. Vincent glared at him before he took in a deep breath and easily fell back into the wide smile. He ran a hand through Jeremy's hair, pausing at the circular scars.

  “There, was that so hard? See, I've had a long time to think about things. Haunting a suit stuck in a room, kinda gives ya time to reflect. Hell, at some point, I think I coulda got Springy on my side. The thing's always been eager to please ya know? Maybe we coulda busted outta here and finished things together....but then ya showed up.”

  “What do you want? Why possess Jeremy?” Mike asked softly as he tried to slow down his breathing. His chest was heaving and everything was starting to ache from being tense.

  “Ya really have to ask? I was right, all of ya are morons.”

  Mike bristled. He wondered if he could smack him upside the head without hurting Jeremy, but decided it was probably unlikely. Vincent laughed, fingers rubbing at the discolored eye.

  “Know what it feels like to lose someone? Have ya?”

  The guard froze up, chest aching instantly. The picture in his pocket felt heavy. He'd been trying so hard to not think of it. He knew if he had to stop from focusing on the mysteries of Fazbear's, he'd have to face reality. His mother's funeral arrangments, burying her...Saying goodbye.

  The other grinned. “So ya have. Was it an accident? Something someone could've prevented if they'd been paying attention?”

  “If you'd parented better, both of your kids would've been fine.” Mike spat.

  “Hmm...would they? Or would I have eventually gotten rid of them myself? But we're not analyzing me, are we? No, we're about to make sure this fucking place goes under and not be comin' back.” Vincent said.

  “That's what this is all about? Shutting down Freddy's?? The kids, the ghosts, you nearly killing me and Jeremy and Mark?!”

  The other sighed heavily, attempting to tap his fake leg. “Ya don't get it, do ya? I gave Mark a warning, didn't I? The kid's young, got a whole life ahead of him, yet he'd rather stay in this hellhole. I thought I'd string him along the stage, make sure ya really see it when the day shift comes in.”

  “That's not going to happen.” The guard hissed.

  “And _you_.” His grin turned sinister, the lights flickering again as Mike tried to back away along the wall. He nearly tripped over a stray box on the floor as Vincent stalked forward. “Oh, what did I promise ya? That's right. I'd be removin' ya virtabrea. One by one, seein' how long ya last. It might be awkward, I've never killed anyone older then twelve so forgive me if things...get messy.”

  “I'm going to make you regret ever deciding not to go to hell.” Mike said.

  He backed into the corner, where the blood stains darkened the floor and wall. Vincent paused, hesitating. Maybe a ghost couldn't return to the place where they'd died? Was he safe here? There was no way he'd let his guard down. He needed to find a way to get Vincent out of Jeremy.

  “...Possess me.”

  The other raised an eyebrow. “The hell ya on about?”

  Mike swallowed roughly. “Possess me instead. Leave Jeremy alone, the robots care more about me, they'd never hurt me, so you'd be safe but just leave him alone.”

  Vincent chuckled, a hand on his chest. “How cute. Little newbie is screaming in here, ya know. He's calling ya a fucking goddamn idiot. But ya shouldn't worry so much, Mikey. I'm killin' ya last.”

  Mike recoiled, the words sinking in. Kill him last? Why? What purpose did that have? He gaped but before he could say anything, the door exploded and Freddy snarled as he came in, eyes black and body creaking in rage.

  “Step away.”

  Vincent grinned and did so, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “What ever is the matter, Freddy?”

  As the bear stepped into the room, Bonnie shoved past and made a beeline for him. Mike hesitated only a moment before stepping between them, causing the bunny to stop. “W-wait, it's still Jeremy in there!”

  “Yes, but he's being controlled. If it has to come to it, we have to make that sacrifice.” Freddy said. He glanced at Mike. “We cannot allow anything to happen to you.”

  Memories of how they reacted to being hurt came to mind, when Jessica had been short with him and accidentally hurt him. He felt very cold. A part of him understood. He was important to them, they were protective, but the possessiveness is something he'd seen first hand already, likely caused by being possessed by children. Hell, Freddy wouldn't even let him handle a knife to cut a damn cake.

  “But I won't make that sacrifice! Jeremy's given everything for this place!” He argued.

  Behind him, Vincent laughed, bending over as he wheezed, a hand on his eyes. “Ya, ya really are doin' it! I never thought ya'd be stupid enough! Don't you get it, Mikey?? Didn't you learn the first time? I don't just leave. I'm in here until I die.”

  “Why would you do this to him?” Mike demanded, trying to keep himself between the possessed engineer and the robots.

  At this, he abruptly stopped laughing. The smile slid off his face, but he still refused to look at them. “Why...? Why indeed...newbie never deserved this shit. Ya would be so surprised. He was so shy, ya know? Snarky but kept it under wraps. Came from havin' a family like his. But oh, he tried so hard. Kept close to me an' Scott. And then, the fuckin' moron jumps in front of that shitty broken fox when it goes to bite my head off.”

  Mike could've sworn his heart stopped. His color drained. Toy Bonnie had said that Mangle hadn't meant to hurt Jeremy, hadn't he? But...but all of, all of Jeremy's problems, came from trying to protect his coworker. And finally Vincent looked at him with Jeremy's bright green eyes, one of them looking almost rotted.

  He grinned. “Can't believe either, can ya?”

  A rage unlike anything Mike had ever felt clenched his heart. It seemed every problem they had sourced from Vincent. He had a sudden want to just wrap his hands around his throat.

  Before he could act on it, Bonnie gently (as gently as a six foot robot could anyway) shoved him aside and ran at him. But Vincent just laughed, Jeremy's bad eye seemingly _bursting_ as it leaked what looked like blood down his face. And before Bonnie could grab him and likely rip him apart, something gold ran into the tiny room and grappled the purple bunny and threw him.

  “S-Springtrap, what are you doing??” Mike demanded, backing away from the animatronic. “Bonnie are you okay?”

  He ran over to where the other bunny had fallen. Bonnie glared at Springtrap's back. “I'm okay Mike.”

  Jeremy's face was forced into a odd, nervous grin as Vincent backed away from Springtrap, back hitting the wall. “Springy, come on. Ya know how bad this thing leaks with ya so close??”

  His hand came and gripped at his eye, blood leaking through his fingers. Mike felt sick, wondering if this was going to effect Jeremy's vision. But Springtrap's hand latched out and grabbed his throat, sharp fingertips digging into his neck.

  “You don't get to go so easily this time.” Springtrap hissed.

  “Easily?? Being speared through my eyes and guts was _easy_?!” Vincent laughed hysterically.

  Ignoring him, the gold robot yanked him off his feet and dragged him towards the door. Freddy scowled, looking like he might stop him but allowed the bunny to continue. Not sure what was going on, Mike ran out to follow, the two coming up beind him.

  He stopped, swallowing roughly. Mark and Fritz stood near Chica as the Marionette and Goldie stood there waiting. A cold shiver came over him, and the Head Guard quickly looked around and spotting the two Shadows up in the curtains watching. Shadow Bonnie waved.

  “We havin' a fucking intervention?” Vincent teased.

  He saw Fritz's eyes widened. Springtrap threw Vincent forward towards the Marionette, grip moving to the back of Jeremy's shirt to keep him there. The Marionette's eyes glowed white as it floated forward.

  _“_ _Please, you have to stop this._ _”_

  Vincent froze up, letting go of his eye. It leaked down Jeremy's face, splattering to the floor as he stared. He jumped when Foxy came forward and something dawned on him as his knees trembled.

  “Shauwn...”

xxxxx


	17. Thank You for Playing Our Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beside the epilogue, we are at the end. I hope you all enjoyed the ride we've been on!

Warnings: blood, gore, hints at pedophilia, death, children death/torture

Holy shit guys...we did it. I can't believe that we've managed to see this through to the end, just in time for Sister Location no less! I can't wait for that, and if SL gives me an idea for this universe, you might see me back.

Thank you all for going on this journey with me, and thank you all for your kind words, follows and even putting me on TV Tropes. You guys are amazing and I wouldn't have made it this far without you.

See you next time.

Xxxxxx

_He fucking hated birthday parties. Today was easily the worst, since the air was such a drag and everything was so damn depressing. Everyone knew they were closing because of those rotting bodies he’d stuffed in the back, and everyone knew that their jobs were likely gone. Not his of course. He doubted that shitty owner could ever get rid of him, with all the dirt he had, and there was talk of a new restaurant anyway…_

_Course, these shitty plastic things were gonna be tossed. And damn, was Vincent glad to see them go. He couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for Jeremy, the kid had lost a shitton of weight since working here and he looked dead as he walked around the place. Scott had been keeping an eye on him; the kid was jumpy after working the nightshift for so long._

_He paused in getting himself his fifth free drink when a kid ran by and pushed another boy to the ground. The kid started wailing, snot everywhere, and suddenly Vincent’s drip on his drink tightened and he didn’t realized he’d crushed it until the soda ran over his fingers._

_Snot nosed shits. Entitled, bratty little assholes. Never thinking about what they caused, what they did. Only taking and taking and taking and_ _**taking and taking and-** _

“ _There you are!”_

_Vincent quickly threw the cup away, wiping his hands on his uniform as Jeremy ran over. The poor kid had dark bags under his eyes and he kept skittering around. Not that Vincent could blame him. Working the nightshift was fucking hell, especially with those fucking robots. And that goddamn puppet. He’d be happy to see them rotting away somewhere else, and he’d love nothing more than to smash them to pieces…_

“ _Ya found me. Sup newbie?”_

_Jeremy shifted his stupid purple hat as he glanced around. “I, uh…I saw it. Last night. I swear to god I did, and Scott doesn’t believe me.”_

“ _The yellow one?” Vincent asked casually. His fingers were twitching._

“ _Yeah. It’s just like…slumped and laid there, but it just disappears!” The blond went on in a hurried whisper, leaning in close. “What if these things follow me home or something? We’re closing after this birthday right??”_

_Vincent chuckled, wrapping an arm around Jeremy’s shoulders. The boy grimaced, obviously uncomfortable but that really wasn’t what he cared about. “Newbie, what did I tell ya when ya started?”_

_He got a deadpanned look. “That you’re an asshole.”_

“ _Nah besides that. Ya can’t sweat this shit. Place is nuts. You let these robot fucks get into ya head, and that’s it. You’re gone. Look at Scott.”_

_Jeremy gave a snort, shrugging his arm off. “I don’t see what he sees in that fox. Thing nearly skewered me last night.”_

“ _Eh but it didn’t. Scott thinks that makes him some kind of good guy among these fuckers.” Vincent grabbed a new cup, filling it with soda as a waitress gave him a dark look. He smirked back. “Look the party’s almost over. The band will play, the kids will leave, and we’re all gonna get the fuck out of here and never worry about sentient robots trying to kill us ever again.”_

“ _I guess so…anyway, Scott says to keep an eye on Kid’s Cove. Mangle’s been twitchy today.” Jeremy said and left._

_He did his rounds. Kids kept running into him, only for their parents to give him suspicious looks like he was trying to get them. Then again, he mused with a grin, ain’t that exactly what he’d done? So easily too…but these shits weren’t worth it. He was gonna finally be free tomorrow. Maybe he shouldn’t keep working for the Fazbear company? Maybe it was being here, surrounded by this crap, that made him think of his boys…_

_His boys…His heart ached. His Shawn and Caleb. He missed them every day. Sometimes he’d wake up in the mornings, their names on his lips before remembering. His poor little Shawn didn’t deserve what had happened to him…_

“ _Vincent, you need a hand over there? Most of the customers are gone.” Jeremy’s voice called from the entrance of the Cove._

_He glanced up, forcing a grin. “You think I’d turn down help from my favorite newbie?”_

_Jeremy gave him a look as he walked in. “Don’t be an asshole, just let’s get this over with so we can-“_

_Vincent saw his eyes go wide. Jeremy had always had the prettiest green eyes. Something out of a magazine; no kid should look like that. He went to ask him what the hell was wrong when the boy ran at him, and Vincent thought maybe he was going to punch him. But instead, Jeremy grabbed him, shoving him aside and he was suddenly on the ground as he looked on in horror as Mangle’s jaws came down._

_He hadn’t witnessed Fredbear crunching down on his son’s head; hadn’t heard the sound of metal and gears as they forced through human bone and skin. But it was a sound he’d never forget as Mangle’s jaws pierced through Jeremy’s forehead, barely missing his eyes as it sunk in. There was a crunch and things went silent and still before the kid began spasming and suddenly the blood began flowing._

_Jeremy was screaming. And Vincent couldn’t move, stunned, as he looked at that fucking broken fox as someone shoved past him to try and get the blood to stop. It fell in a heap on the ground, twitching as Jeremy twitched and its gold eyes whirled around to look at him._

_It had gone for him._

_He was the one that was supposed to have gotten bitten._

_It_ _**knew** _ _._

“ _God dammit Afton, move!”_

_He was shoved aside as some medics came in. He finally managed to pull himself up on his feet and realized that the room was swarming with people, all of them looking pale and horrified as they tried to get Jeremy out. He was trembling. Why now? Why did this keep happening?? Wasn't Shawn enough? They had to do this to newbie as well??_

_But there wasn't anyone to blame this time. No shitty kids wailing about how they were just playing a prank and how they didn't want to die...No employees that just weren't fast enough. This time,_ _**he** _ _hadn't been fast enough._

_This time, it'd been his fault._

“ _Come on, Vincent. They want us all out of here before we're questioned. And you're gonna want to get cleaned up.”_

_Scott's hand on his shoulder kept him upright. He walked with him, unable to fully take in anything around him. He managed to look down, seeing that he had blood splatters all over his uniform and he felt some drying on his face. That might explain the looks he was getting from some of the waitresses he passed by._

“ _Newbie is-?”_

“ _We'll go see him. As soon as you've changed.” Scott promised._

_He didn't remember much after that. Scott helped him clean off the blood and change when they got to his shitty apartment. He didn't remember how any of it happened or the drive to the hospital. He stood there in a daze as Scott talked to the doctors and they sat and had to wait for hours before they were allowed to see Jeremy. At some point, Fritz had shown up, explaining that he'd heard what happened when he showed up to return his uniform._

_They all went in under orders to keep quiet. Jeremy needed his rest. Scott took up the rear and Vincent all but ran in. He almost wished he hadn't; Jeremy was lying in a stark white bed, his skin a similar shade, with his entire face in stained bandages. Only his mouth was left untouched, but there was evidence of someone having tried to clean off the blood stains._

“ _His entire frontal lobe had to be removed.” Someone said softly. He couldn't really focus at the time as he stared at Jeremy's lifeless form. “There will be...changes. He might not remember anything that happened, and there are aspects of his personality that might be altered.”_

“ _He's gonna be okay right??” Fritz all but demanded._

_Vincent didn't see whether the man nodded or not. His heart was suddenly beating too fast, his knees were shaking. He didn't realize he was crying until Fritz hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder. His breath came out in puffs as he tried to calm himself down._

“ _Gonna need a minute.” He said and quickly left the room._

_He stood in the hallway, leaning against the wall as he tried to breathe. It was all too similar, too familiar. Seeing this kid laying there, in pain and clinging to life...It wasn't until Scott was there that he felt like he could breathe again, swallowing around the lump in his throat as he stared up at the man he'd been partners with for years._

“ _It's not the same.” Scott said firmly. “Jeremy's going to be fine.”_

“ _It's my fault. It's my fuckin' fault Scott, it was...”_

“ _Vince...” The other man frowned, glancing around to make sure there wasn't anyone around. “William, it's over. Jeremy's going to be okay, the place is closing...maybe you shouldn't come back. It's over okay?”_

_God, how long had it been since anyone called him that? Sometimes he missed William Afton. Sometimes he wished he could control himself better, wasn't so fucking enticed by how easily children broke and ripped apart. Sometimes...sometimes he wished he was a better father._

“ _Ya right about one thing...”_

_He looked up at Scott; the older man was pale and sweating, still in his purple uniform. His brown eyes were staring at him intently. After everything they'd been through, he trusted Scott. He'd been right there when the first springlock failed and left the matching scars on both their skins; he'd been there as he mourned Shawn and helped him make sure the incident couldn't be traced back to him. Grinning, Vincent, no, William Afton couldn't help but bark out a laugh._

“ _It's fuckin' over.”_

_Xxxxxxxx_

“Shawn...my Shawn...”

Mike couldn't stop gritting his teeth as he watched. He felt hopeless; there was nothing he could do to help anymore. It was completely out of his hands as he stood with the huge animatronics, waiting to see what the Marionette could do, and how this man would react. His eyes were all over the place as he took in the scene and saw Jeremy's eye leaking all over the man's face. He glanced at Mark briefly but Mark was completely focused on the scene as well, with Springtrap standing close.

They all jumped when Vincent began laughing manically. Mike cringed slightly at seeing the way Jeremy's face twisted. The man fell to his knees as he clutched the eye again, letting the black blood leak through his fingers as he laughed, though there was a twinge of something else.

“Ya had to pick that fuckin' robot huh?” He sneered suddenly. He grinned sharply as he looked up at the puppet. “Ya know I always thought maybe you were hiding away in the ol' Fredbear. Guess ya were more pissed off at me than I thought huh?”

The Puppet's white eyes stared down at him. _“I was never mad at you.”_

Vincent snorted. “Was coming at me just for fun then?”

“ _This was never fun. You have to stop this, it’s gone too far.”_

“Oh we're almost done! We're so close to done we just gotta last a bit longer.” Vincent laughed hysterically. “We can finally end this shitfest. We're so close, Shawn, I just need a little more time and everything your brother started will be over.”

“ _This has nothing to do with me or Caleb and you know it. Dad, please. All you’re doing is making it all worse for yourself.”_

“Vincent...”

They all turned when Fritz suddenly spoke. The portly man looked nervous at the sudden attention but swallowed hard and stepped forward.

“The least you can do is tell us what's going on. You owe Jeremy that much.”

The crazed grin on Vincent's face slid off as he paused. He seemed to think about that as he stared at Fritz, hand coming off his bleeding eye. His glanced down to his now bloody hand and he heaved a sigh before standing back on his feet.

“Gotta admit, surprised to see ya back here, Smith. Hoped you'd be smarter than that...ya want answers? Ya think it'll help at all? Fine...” He grinned again, but this time it lacked the manic tinge and seemed sad. “I already told Mikey, didn't I? Poor Newbie, he saw that fuckin' broken fox coming. I didn't. Idiot shoved me outta the way and took the hit for me.”

Fritz and Mark looked both horrified and shocked. Mike's teeth grit together even harder at hearing it again. He knew Jeremy had no idea that this man had killed so many kids when he saved him, but the fact that his best friend had been so selfless and saved a killer only to have his life more or less destroyed...He wanted to punch Vincent in the face.

“Now this might surprise ya, but...gotta admit, it shook me up real good. Bad enough sitting next to a hospital bed with a son, having doctors tellin' ya there's nothing they can do and to wait for him to die,” The Puppet flinched slightly at that. “But some kid comes along and saves your life and maybe would have been better off dead? And only four years apart...Makes ya think. Makes ya wonder about the people ya workin' for.”

“And I'm sure you doing this after Jeremy's recovered without you made it all so much better for him.” Mark shot, eyes narrowing.

Jeremy's possessed form whipped around to stare at him, green eye narrowing. “Don't make me go back on my decision to not kill ya.”

Mark glared back just as hard. “Oh no, if only I had an army of animal robots around that liked me enough to protect me. Oh wait.”

Springtrap elbowed him, making Mark scowl and quiet down. Vincent chuckled, shaking his head as he ran a hand through his hair; Mike scowled. He didn't like how comfortable Vincent apparently was in Jeremy's body.

“So Jeremy’s brain gets slimmed down and what? You decided to finally do something about this corrupt company?” Mike demanded.

“If there’s anything I learned before my very tragic death, it’s ya gotta be careful about snitching on the people that can make ya disappear just as easily. Ya ever see a bear trap go off? Got a hand caught in it? The first time the spring lock suits ever broke, Scotty and I were still inside them. They said we were lucky, they usually go all the way through but something caught and while Scott had an artery nicked, we both lived. Had matching scars to remember it. And only a day before, Scotty had been tellin’ the manager how they weren’t allowed to do this all to us…”

Vincent snorted when Mike couldn’t keep the appalled look off his face. “Now tell me, would ya go around sprouting shit about them being corrupt? Why do ya think they do this to us? Mikey, they know how replaceable we are. Course, I tried gettin’ back at them. First kid was during the manager’s kid’s birthday.”

“You’re a sick fuck.” Mark hissed.

“Y’all need a better vocabulary cuz it’s gettin’ repetitive.”

Mark made a move to lunge at him, but Springtrap quickly grabbed him. Mike took in a deep breath to try to keep calm. “But you didn’t stop after that.”

“Nah kinda got a taste for it afterwards. Held it off for years, but well…” He glanced at Foxy and then towards the Puppet. “Things happened.”

“Your own kid??” Fritz suddenly spoke up, looking horrified. “Did Scott know?”

“Course not. Ya think Scotty would put up with that? Poor son of a bitch wanted me to be his own kid’s god dad.” Vincent chuckled. “Think he might have suspected…but the guy had a bad habit of ignoring things if it went against his perfect world. Why ya think he was still so obsessed with that damn fox?”

“That doesn’t answer why you killed your own son.” Mike pointed out shortly.

Vincent paused, glancing at Foxy again. The animatronic stared back, gold eyes hard. “He took Shawn away from me.”

“He was still your son! He made a mistake, you think that excuses what you did?!” Mike snapped.

“A mistake?” Vincent sneered. “If only. No, the little son of a bitch knew what would’ve happened. He let some idiots push him along and I lost Shawn over it. No son of mine would do that.”

“ _That’s not fair to Caleb! He couldn’t have known what would have happened.”_ The young child inside the Puppet argued, causing the glowing eyes to increase in intensity.

“Oh, but that’s not even the best part!” The man went on, beginning to look crazed. “No, because somehow no one even saw it coming! No one was paying attention to stop it. So while he’s being forced inside and screaming no even looks up! And Caleb thought he’d get away with it. Him and those group of brats thought it was fine, there’s no way I’d punish him four years later right?”

Right…They’d died when Jeremy had been working there. Mike frowned, trying to think but it felt like his mind was racing too quickly to grab a thought. While he wanted their questions finally answered, he was much more worried about Jeremy.

“Why are you doing this to Jeremy then Vincent? He saves you and you make him do this?” Fritz asked calmly. Mike looked at him in surprise but noticed he was sweating heavily.

“I know what ya are trying to do.” Vincent said suddenly, grinning. “Tryin’ to get me to move on huh? Ya think it’ll be that easy? Throw my kid in front of me and I just fuck off?”

“ _We aren’t trying to trick you Dad, this was my idea to talk to you.”_ The Puppet walked forward, kneeling down to be face level. _“Because this is goodbye. I wanted to see you one last time.”_

“Goodbye?” Vincent frowned, looking unnerved; though whether that was because he was talking to his dead son or because he was this close to the Puppet, Mike had no idea. “You wanted to rub it in my face that you were around this whole time only to leave me again?”

One of the Puppet's hands came up, cupping Jeremy's cheek despite him flinching. _“I've decided to move on.”_

There was silence. Mike gaped, eyes wide. From the creaking around him as the animatronics shifted, it seemed they weren't expecting that either. Vincent stared in shock, mouth opening and closing; it was the first time he'd ever seen Vincent not have something to say.

“...what?”

“ _I've been here for far too long. I can't even begin to count how many people have died because of me. I just...I didn't get to say goodbye last time.”_

Vincent's mouth finally closed as he seemed to struggle. His eye suddenly roamed the room, pausing briefly on Springtrap and settling on Mike. The Head Guard did his best to hold his gaze, seeing the odd expression on the man's face. It seemed like it was finally hitting him what was going on as he stood there, his breathing unsteady.

“You...you can't do this. I can't watch you go again.” He finally managed to get out.

“ _Then come with me.”_ The Puppet said softly, both of his large, black hands cradling Jeremy's face. _“We can go together. We both have killed too many people, we'll be going to the same place.”_

“W-wait!” Mike couldn't stop himself from speaking out, eyes wide. “You're...serious? About moving on?”

“ _The others went on without me. I think I've stuck around long enough.”_

“Shawn...” Vincent's hands came up and went over the larger, black material hands.

The Puppet shook his head. _“These past few months here, with Mike and Jeremy and Mark, they've given me time to think. Seeing what they're willing to go through for everyone, even me...But if I'm here, I'll only cause problems. Dad, I want us to go together. I....I'm afraid to go alone.”_

“Y-you only want me to stop.” The man argued shakily.

“ _I was the one that begged Fredbear to keep Caleb here. I kept them all here with me in this purgatory and I shouldn't be forgiven for that. You killed them, but I put them in the suits.”_

Mike hesitated, not sure if he should interrupt. But he swallowed hard and pulled himself together. “Vincent...isn't the worse thing we can do, is make this place better? If you've been around, then you've seen the difference.”

“Stop...calling me that.” The man finally said, hands tightening around the Puppet's. “I fuckin' hate that name. It always sounded wrong. Scotty picked it for me but...”

A fake name? He had never thought of that...It made sense, in a way, but Vincent had only changed his name when? To stop from being traced from the children murders?

“Always thought Vincent was too fancy of a name for some child killer...” Mark mumbled to himself.

“ **You were a very difference person when you were William.”** Golden Freddy mused softly.

“Then, then...William.” Mike said, making sure the man was staring at him. “If you don't trust us, then trust Jeremy. We'll stomp all that shit out of this place. Jeremy is already irreplaceable here, we'll make sure they can't keep doing this shit to people.”

William snorted, a half grin on his face. “Ya gonna make me puke over here with all this shitty feel better crap ya spewin'.”

Mike didn't react, staring him down. “Your son needs you, William.”

“...Y'all are lucky...If Shawn hadn't been here...” William began but stopped himself. “Aight, Shawn. If it's together then...I can't let my boy go alone can I?”

“ **It won't be the same without you...”** Golden Freddy said to the Puppet.

“ _You've been good to me, Fredbear. But it's best that I leave. I've caused enough trouble.”_

“Smith, make sure newbie doesn't lose anymore limbs will ya?” William asked, his grin sharp but there was a shakiness to it.

“Definitely do my best.” Fritz promised softly.

They weren't sure what to expect. When the children had passed on, there wasn't any fanfare. Nothing noticeable. Mike swallowed, waiting and watching closely. The Puppet's white iris's suddenly faded at the same time Jeremy's rotted, purple eye closed. After a beat, both of his eyes closed. They both went to crumple to the floor, Mike and Foxy both making to grab them before they could hit the ground but something white from the ceiling beat them to it.

“M-m-missed the fun I did!” Mangle whined, twitching slightly as they held Jeremy and the Puppet. “G-g-guess it's a-all for the best I wasn't needed.”

Mike froze, blinking before he looked at Fritz. The red haired man looked stricken at seeing the white fox. “Uh...?”

“First mate!” Foxy practically beamed. “Been fixin' em me-self!”

“You....fixed Mangle...on your own?” Mike repeated slowly, still staring as Mangle carefully dropped down from the ceiling.

“Do you have any idea what Jeremy is going to do to you once he wakes up?!” Mark yelled as he ran over. He carefully began looking the engineer over, trying to see if there was any serious injuries. “His eye is really messed up, but that looks like the only thing wrong...”

Mike ran over as well, taking in the blood stains on his face. He jumped when he felt a heavy, metal hand on his shoulder.

“Mr. Fitzgerald will be fine, Mike.” Freddy said softly. “Of course, you might want to call one of your human medics to get him.”

“R-right, Fritz, call an ambulance will you?” Mike said, shaking himself off. Fritz hesitated before nodding and running towards the office. “I dunno if we should move him so-”

“Definitely not we have no idea what happened to him.” Mark cut in.

Nodding, Mike shed his uniform jacket and folded it, carefully sliding it under Jeremy's head. He glanced up briefly, seeing Bonnie and Chica hovering close in case they were needed while Golden Freddy was near the stage. Springtrap was sitting on it, seemingly deep in thought as his friend comforted him. It might be a shock, knowing the man that had forced you to kill small children was finally gone.

“You have to stay here, being the Head Guard.” Mark pointed out as they heard the sirens. “I'll ride with Jeremy to the hospital, you and Fritz can help clean up and make sure everything's working.”

Mike bit his lip as he forced himself to nod. Mark would take care of him, and he still had a job to do. He watched carefully as Jeremy was taken away, knowing he needed to get into the office and file an injury report. Sighing, he turned back to the group.

“Okay you guys heard him. We gotta clean this place up. I have to write up a report, Fritz, can you get the puppet into back room? We'll need to get him looked after once Jeremy's feeling better and we also have to...prepare the day staff for our new additions...”

He glanced at Mangle, who was crawling around the ceiling and straightening some of the lights and banners. Noticing that he was discussing them, they peered down and waved with one of their crooked feet...hands.

“I c-can help too! Just be t-telling me what you need Mr. Mike!”

“Why did it have to be Mangle..” Fritz whispered to himself, looking pale.

Chica suddenly gasped. “Oh! What are we going to do about the rest of the toys? It'd be nice if they were repaired, they don't seem hostile, but...”

“Our small pizzaria is already getting crowded.” Freddy mused, chuckling. “I have to admit, it's nice. Reminds me of better times...”

“Are...are all the children gone then?” Mike asked cautiously.

The bear nodded. “I cannot begin to explain Goldie, but with our Puppet gone, I believe everyone has passed on. We are a normal pizzaria. Well,” He chuckled and motioned to the group of animatronics. “As normal as a pizzaria can be with sentient robots.”

Fritz snorted before looking embarrassed. Mike grinned and nudged him. “Then things should wine down...We're doing better business wise, and maybe we can get the toys their own restaurant. If they want of course.”

“I be w-wantin' a stage!” Mangle interjected, crawling down the wall to the floor. Fritz stiffened when they loomed over them. “Course, when I get me-self fixed again. Not so p-p-pretty now I doubt the kiddies wanna be lookin' at m-me like this.”

“You look fine.” Mike argued lightly.

Mangle grinned; the Head Guard couldn't help but notice that their jaw was...much larger than Foxy's. “Flattery g-gets ya nowhere, Mr. Mike.”

Once everyone knew their job, Mike quickly headed to the office. He trusted Fritz to keep an eye out, and even if he was still nervous around the animatronics, he could just come and get him if he needed. Sighing, the brown haired man collapsed into his chair, needing a moment. His heart ached, both of exhaustion and something else.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out the picture of his mom. He stared at it, thinking. Why had she died? Why now? The timing seemed...off. He was surrounded by ghosts and spirits, so apart of him wanted to think maybe she'd show up here. It was a selfish thought though, and he was glad it had never happened.

“ _ **We must thank you, Chosen One.”**_

Mike jumped, eyes wide as he turned. The two shadowy figures were peering at him with their white eyes, Shadow Bonnie giggling as it slide from under the desk as the Freddy stood in the doorway. He looked between them, not sure if he should move.

“Thank me?”

The black, shadowy bear eased into the room, making the hairs on Mike's neck rise. _**“The dead are always so angry. And yet, in our grand finale, we lost only the two that wished to go.”**_

“ _ **Chosen One has protected the Broken One and our dear establishment! Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel has opened to us, and we can finally exit.”**_ The bunny added.

“Then you're both leaving as well?” Mike raised an eyebrow, looking between the two.

“ _ **With no ghosties and no vengeance, things will get so boring!”**_ Shadow Bonnie whined softly, melting from under the desk to on top of it. Mike did his best not to flinch away. _**“So, let us ask our dear Security Guard that managed to change everything then...”**_

“ _ **What are we?”**_

Mike froze, blinking as he stared at the bunny. What...were they? He'd been told they were simple ghosts, a collection of people that have died in the spring lock suits. But as the Shadow Freddy scowled at him and the Bonnie grinned, he glanced again at the photo of his mother still in hand.

“You're...the feelings of death?”

He jumped when the bunny shadow laughed and hopped over next to the bear. _**“So smart he is! So clever! Our dear Chosen One has come so far in his journey!”**_

“ _ **Fear not, Chosen One.”**_ The Shadow Freddy grumbled; Mike noticed they were beginning to become transparent. _**“There were no such feelings in her as she passed.”**_

“ _ **For one to feel the ecstasy of death's embrace-”**_

“ _ **Or rage.”**_

“ _ **-one must have had regrets. She had none.”**_

Mike stared, hating that he couldn't stop himself from tearing up. He clutched the picture to his chest and nodded. “T-thank you...”

“ _ **Don't be fooled~ Even as we pass, there are always others.”**_ Shadow Bonnie giggled and then was gone.

Shadow Freddy nodded solemnly as he too began to disappear. _**“Do not think only one restaurant has been befallen with tragedy.”**_

They were gone. Mike wiped his eyes quickly, not wanting anyone to see him crying. He wondered what it'd be like, to feel rage and ecstasy in death, but decided that wasn't for him. Shaking his head, he began looking around for the paper work he needed.

Suddenly, the idea of saying goodbye wasn't so frightening...

xxxxxx

“How is the weirdo?”

Mike jumped, turning from where he'd been talking to Bonnie. He hadn't wanted to come in during the day, he was exhausted, but Lansdale needed him to sign something and meet with someone. Apparently, no matter what they tried, the Puppet wouldn't turn on. And from the sad look on Golden Freddy's face, it seemed he'd never turn on again.

“Uh, sorry?”

He was taken aback when Jessica put her hands on her hips and sighed. He hadn't seen her since the pizza incident, though Mark had mentioned having trouble with her as well. “The weirdo? Jeremy?? Is he gonna be alright or not?”

“He'll be fine, doctors said they'd need to take the eye out unfortunately, but the infection hadn't affected anything else.” Mike answered quickly. He noticed Bonnie was watching her closely.

“...That's...good I guess.” She began biting on her lip before sighing. “Hate to admit it, but it's not the same without him shouting around here. Can't help but be impressed you know? He's nothing like before.”

“You knew Jeremy before the bite??” Mike gaped.

She rolled her eyes. “Course! I've worked here along time thank you, and I never got the treatment you did.” She took in a breath, trying to calm herself down. “Bad enough coming in here after seeing what happened to Jeremy, but then shit happens outside of work too. Anyway, he was such a dumb dork before. Really awkward, quiet...us waitresses had a bet going on how long he'd last.”

“Language.” Bonnie cut in.

Jessica clicked her tongue. “I already got threatened by the bear and your creepy other bunny please don't start with me.”

“I appreciate your concern,” Mike quickly got between them. “I was going to see him after work and I'll give my regards.”

“Thanks...and, well, I guess I never really apologized for before. I've been taking the divorce pretty hard, and losing this job with that going on would probably be the end of me.” She admitted, not looking him in the eye.

Not much of an apology, Mike mused, but he figured that was just how she was. He shrugged it off. “It's fine. Think nothing of it.”

“Great. I planned on making a brownie platter tomorrow, mind passing it along?” Jessica smirked suddenly. “I never was a fan of scars, but Jeremy makes them kinda sexy you know?”

“I wouldn't.” Mike flushed.

“Eh, he was cute as a dork too I guess...Make sure you look after him then, he spends too much time around robots.”

She walked off, leaving Mike confused. He sighed and scratched his head as Bonnie stared at him. He stared back, giving him a look.

“I still think she should be fired.” The purple bunny finally said.

Mike snorted. “Maybe, but that's not our place. Though I really hope she's not Jeremy's type, I can't begin to imagine the two in a fight...”

He ended up needing to sign a few forms about how the puppet was damaged or not, about if anyone had tampered with it. Finally, they had Mr. Fazbear on the phone and the man announced they'd officially retire it. Mike's chest hurt at the thought. He asked what would happen to it, he couldn't handle it being thrown away, but the CEO promised him they already had something set up.

“Don't you worry Mikey boy!” Chirp did her best to comfort him; they were still unable to move but Fritz had given them the 'official' job of looking after the back room till Jeremy recovered. “They'd never throw him away. He was more important.”

“Excuse you, no one is more important than us.” Bon Blu argued hotly.

Mike ran a hand through his hair, feeling exhausted again. He was running around a lot to day to deal with everything. The toys, the day staff, the puppet, the shadows...He just really wanted a few days to himself, but that seemed very unlikely.

“Mr. Schmidt?”

He almost groaned. Right, he was meeting someone...He turned, blinking in shock when Jill smiled back. “Oh, forgive me. They didn't say it was you.”

“Oh, it's okay. I'm not here on official business.” She said, shrugging. “I just had a promise to fulfill and...they mentioned that you'd found something for me.”

Mike froze before he gave a nod. He ran towards a box they'd put on the shelf, pulling out an old purple and black hat. He swallowed, taking a moment to look it over before offering it to her. Her hands were shaking as she turned it over and he pretended not to see as she began to cry at seeing the name.

“I never got to meet him personally but...he left me messages. He seemed like a great guy.” Mike said softly.

“He was...This place meant so much to him. I often begged him to leave, he came home so exhausted and frightened sometimes but...” She wiped her tears quickly and forced a smile. “But that's not your problem. I appreciate you finding this for me, Mr. Schmidt.”

“Mom! Mom, you never said there were _two_ Foxy's!”

A small head peeked into the door, and Mike cringed when the toys cheered at seeing a child. “Uh, no one's allowed back here...?”

“Scotty, you can't be back here, you know that.” Jill scolded lightly as the boy came in. “I'm almost done.”

Mike couldn't help but stare slightly. He glanced at Jill, and she caught his eyes. He quickly cleared his throat and smiled at the boy, motioning him in.

“Employee's only, but I guess I can give you a peek.” He offered, pointing to the toys. “We're getting ready for these guys. And they'd love company.”

“Wow, really??” Scotty all but ran over, gaping at the toys as they began excitedly introducing themselves.

“He never got to meet him...” Mike glanced over at the woman as she spoke. “And his godfather disappeared one day out of nowhere. I know that he was going through so much, but...it's a shame.”

Mike would vehemently disagree but kept it to himself. If William had lived to take care of Scotty, well...he didn't want to begin imaging what could have happened to the poor kid.

“He's more than welcomed here.” Mike said. “Maybe we can begin his training to be a Security Guard.”

Xxxxx

He wasn't awake.

It took him a moment to realize he could move. Shakily, Jeremy opened one eye, his other covered by bandages and gauze. He was in a hospital bed, but this wasn't a hospital. He almost groaned at seeing the familiar stage room, that stupid carousel, but the toys and Balloon Boy were nowhere to be found.

“I'll only take a sec.”

He glared the best he could as William sat himself on his bed. “Why are you still fucking with my head?”

“Oh, don't ya be worryin' none Newbie.” He laughed. “Ya won't be finding a trace of me in there soon. But I just thought I'd want to be sayin' goodbye.”

“You possessed my body to kill my friends and you ruined my life.” Jeremy hissed.

The black haired man didn't react for awhile. He just sat there, staring at his hands. Jeremy gritted his teeth, wanting to do _something_ to him. He'd lost his leg and eye because of this asshole, he had a portion of his brain removed because he was delusional enough to think Vince-William was a good guy. A part of him was pissed that he even got to be here when he should be in Hell by now.

“Relax. Ya know, I had a much better plan for us.” William grinned sharply and Jeremy tried to move away from him. “You'd make some beautiful kids, ya know? If I could live my life through ya, for just a few years...Long as those morons died and couldn't tell on us...”

The engineer froze, eye wide. The motion caused his empty eyesocket to ache but he couldn't stop himself as he jumped from the bed. “You...you wanted...I'll fucking kill you!”

“Now now, Newbie, we didn't go through with it! I got my Shawn with me, and you'll live. Don't ya be such worrier!” William laughed, running a hand through his black hair.

“Get out of my head and go the fuck to hell!” Jeremy snarled at him.

The other huffed and got up. The blond made sure they had plenty of space between them as William sauntered over to face him properly.

“I ain't sorry...but I do regret havin' ya involved. I was shocked when you pushed me outta the way, Newbie, I never woulda thought anyone would do that for me. Ya suffered a lot from this god awful fuckin' place...and ya don't deserve any of it.”

“And you did this to me anyway.” Jeremy cut in.

“I did. Did what I had to.” William stared at him hard in the eye. “I wanted to see ya off. Wanted to make sure ya'd be taken care of....but those idiots and rust buckets seem like they can handle it. So, Jeremy...thanks.”

Jeremy didn't reply. He had nothing to say. He knew in a perfect world, maybe he'd spew his guts about forgiving him and saying that things would be okay. But he **didn't** forgive him. And the ache of where his eye should be burned as he glared at the man before him, knowing he'd never forgive him as long as he lived.

William still smiled, shrugging easily as he began walking away. The blond relaxed slightly, glad to see him off. But at the last moment, the other man turned and his wide grin turned almost sinister as he faded away.

“Y'all always have me around to look after ya...”

Xxxxx

 

Please be ready for an Epilogue, because this chapter was running on soooo long! Thank you for everything you guys have done for me, and thank you for staying here on this journey with me. I hope this was a satisfying end and worth the wait.

MRIMO

 


	18. Epilgoue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue Time y'all~  
> You've all been so amazing to me, and I can't put into words what finishing this means to me. He'll never see it, but Scott Cawthon: you're one hell of a storyteller and one of the best devs I've ever seen. Thank you for letting us in on your universe.  
> Thank you all so much.

The blaring red lights were like a seizure; his hands were shaking as he clung to his phone in his hand and began looking around wildly. He couldn't see movement, but then again it'd be near impossible to see anything in this room. The faintest of noise began twinkling and he bit his lip, eyes staring into the darkness from where he'd ducked into and waited to see if the flickering lights would give anything away. When nothing happened, he dove back into his phone.

It was near impossible to get service down here of course. Only one place in the entire facility had service. And the idea of sneaking in there...but he knew he had to give it a shot. It was likely his only chance. Finger on the send button, he took a deep breath and _ran_.

_'I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm so dead'_

He heard the twinkling getting louder, the faintest sound of something metallic scrapping against the tiled floor. His shoulder met the door finally and he all but threw himself into the next room, leaving the melodic notes of a music box behind. Panting he glanced down at his phone and saw that his message had been sent and he heaved a sigh of relief, wanting to collapse down against the door when a faint noise was heard in the room.

“ _I see you over there in the dark!”_

Xxxxxx

“Mike! Sorry you had to come in early.”

Mike yawned as he waved his hand. “It's fine, Mark. I know how crazy things have been here lately.”

The man grinned at him, putting on a jacket over his new shade of purple. “It's been hectic. And Jeremy's pretty pissed at me since I have to keep on his back all day. I know he's working hard but I have to keep up formalities.”

Mike perked up. “You got your promotion already?!”

“Just went through. I'm not a fan of this purple though, I think the darker shade looks better...” Mark rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. “It's weird though...People keep calling me for things, and I certainly have way more to do now.”

“I can imagine.” The Head Guard chuckled. “So, Manager then? You just remember how well I trained you when you start making all that management money.”

The younger man gave him a look, snorting. “Don't worry. When we all hang out this Sunday, drinks are on me.”

“Mike, Jeremy sent me out to tell you that you're taking too long-Oh!”

Mike blinked as Springtrap appeared next to him, tripping over a table leg. The gold bunny quickly grabbed his arm and helped him back up with a sheepish grin. He saw Mark rolled his eyes next to him but ignored him. “Oh, sorry about that. I'll head back now.”

“Spring, next time Jeremy tries to order you around, tell him to get to work.” Mark grumbled.

Springtrap cocked his head to the side. “I did! And then I dodged the wrench he threw at me.”

Mike left them behind quickly, grinning as he ducked into the back room. He gave the door a loud shut to make sure Jeremy heard him since the man's back was to the door as he tinkered with what looked like was Mangle's tail.

“There you are. I'm not fucking working on that thing without someone with me, and Fritz can't get in here for another hour.”

Jeremy turned away from the item to greet him. Mike smiled despite his stomach churning. The blond's eye had been covered by a white patch, making his good eye look oddly pale. He'd adjusted to his limp but he usually had troubles with depth perception even more than before.

“Sorry. No one told me Mark's promotion went through.”

“Oh shit really? I didn't tell you??” The engineer looked surprised a moment. “Well fuck. My bad.”

Mike shrugged. “It's fine, you've been busy. So, are they going to be ready?”

“They'll be ready, functioning and no longer my problem.” Jeremy mumbled. “Go grab it will you?”

Mike patted his shoulder and headed out for the office area. He weaved through the groups of children on the floor and tables until he finally got into the hall. He heard clanking around and knew where he'd find Mangle hiding as he kept walking.

“Mangle, Jeremy's ready for you.” He called.

Fritz looked up from the camera, Mangle dangling from the ceiling over his shoulder. “Hey Mike. You helping Jeremy then?”

“Yeah, came in early. You mind bringing us pizza when you swap with me?”

The red haired man nodded. “Yeah, course.”

Mangle pulled themselves up into the ceiling. “My t-turn then huh? I'll meet you there, Mr. Mike!”

Mike watched them head into a vent and disappear. Fritz shook his head. “Are you sure you're okay with transferring, Fritz? I mean, even if things are okay now it's still the Toys...”

“Hm? Eh, it's fine.” Fritz shrugged easily. Mike was amazed at how calm he was now that he was sure the animatronics wouldn't hurt him. “And besides, the toys themselves kinda asked that I do it...”

“Really??” Mike raised an eyebrow. He hadn't had much time with them since they had been stuck in the back until very recently.

“I guess...they had very different ways of remembering the old restaurant.” Fritz explained softly, sighing. “So Jeremy and I are all that's left. And no offense to you Mike but I think they want someone familiar.”

He nodded. “Makes sense. I don't think the others would be very happy if I tried to transfer anyway.”

“Are you kidding? I'm surprised Freddy didn't throw Mark out the window when he took the promotion and not you.”

Mike shrugged easily at that, giving a wave before he headed back to the Back Room. He knew Jeremy didn't want to be alone around Mangle; the fact that the man could handle the fox moving around the pizzaria at all was miraculous. Mike had to gently break it to him at dinner when the man was released from the hospital, and it was only the promise of him never being alone with it that let Jeremy come back to work.

“When are we moving everyone?” Mike asked as he entered the room.

“Friday. Closing for the day, sending them off, and then I can actually get a full night's sleep.” Jeremy said, only flinching slightly when Mangle crawled through the vent into the room. “You got a name you wanna be called? Once you're fixed we can't really call you Mangle.”

“Hmmm...pretty sure b-b-back in the day I had a name but it has since been taken.” Mangle said as they settled themselves on the table.

“Taken? Really?” Mike looked at Jeremy in confusion but the blond man shrugged.

Mangle nodded; the guard noticed that the second head mimicked their movements. “The ol' files called me uh,” they froze for a moment thinking and Jeremy stiffened. “Ah! There it be, I was called the Funtime Foxy!”

“Funtime? And someone else got the name?” Mike asked curiously.

Jeremy began moving around, grabbing some tools and a box full of pristine white parts of the animatronics's new shell. Mike kept his attention on the fox in front of him. Mangle was certainly aware of how Jeremy felt about them being around and tried to do their best to keep the man comfortable. Even so, the Head Guard didn't want Mangle feeling left out or awkward.

“Another model. I was p-put away and all.” Mangle tried to shrug to the best of their ability. “Need a new n-n-name I do...”

“All of the toys have distinct names from their counterparts...” Mike mused softly, thinking. “But it's hard to go off of Foxy since...well, he's named after himself basically.”

Jeremy pulled out an odd looking wrench. “Maria.”

Mangle perked up as Mike looked at him surprise. “What?”

“Maria. I assume they like the name Mangle, so it's more similar to that. Plus you're very different than Foxy so you going off his name is weird.” The blond glared when they continued to stare. “If you don't like it then fucking think of your own.”

The fox smiled. “Why, J-J-Jeremy I'd love to have a name from you.”

The engineer made a noise as he plugged some kind of drill into the outlet. “You're making it weird. It's a goddamn name.”

“Maria's Kids Cove....” Mangle whispered to themselves. “Oh I l-like it! Will you come visit when I have my cove banner?”

“I'll think about it and then pretend I didn't remember.” Jeremy mumbled. “Now hold still, if I hit anything sensitive tell me. Your parts are all in odd places so I'm not sure what'll hurt.”

Mangle giggled. “You forget, I'm used to the l-l-little ones pulling on in all! You be fine, Jeremy.”

Two hours later, Mike followed Jeremy out to the main area for a break. Mike quickly grabbed them both a soda, seeing that the engineer was sweating and looking exhausted. The pizza Fritz had brought them was sitting on a table as the cleaning staff wiped down the other tables.

“You...doing okay?” Mike asked hesitantly as he sat back down.

Jeremy paused from chewing on a piece of pizza. “...I had a child molester inside my head.”

“Which is scary as hell and I wanna know that you're doing okay.” Mike said.

“M'fine, Mike.”

The guard hesitated, not sure if he should push the issue. “Jeremy, the guy hurt you. And, well, being who you are we all kinda....expected something...”

“You all thought I'd go fucking insane and throw a huge tantrum.” Jeremy cut in, drinking his soda. “Dunno. I think I should really, I want to, but...”

Silence. From the corner of his eye, Mike noticed Fritz with the Toys and Foxy slipping into the Back Room to see Mangle. On stage, the band was turning themselves off for a few hours before Mike began his job. There were fliers on the walls and doors, explaining that Freddy Fazbear's would close for a week in preparation for it's revival and renovations. It was the first time in many years that the place could really begin expanding.

“It's not your fault.” Mike all but hissed suddenly, making Jeremy jump. “You're one of the best people I know.”

“If I hadn't saved him-”

“Then a lot of stuff could've been avoided. But that doesn't mean _anything_. Jeremy, you saved someone's life. You threw yourself in front of a robot that you knew would kill you.” Mike sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You couldn't have known.”

Jeremy stared at the tabletop with his good eye for a moment. He glanced up and Mike was surprised when the man managed to smile. His mind briefly went over the research he'd done when meeting Jeremy, remembering that the man likely couldn't feel any form of real fear or anxiety and worried that maybe this was really messing with his head. But he smiled back anyway, knowing he'd just have to keep an eye on him.

“You mentioned wanting a roommate.”

Mike flushed, nearly choking on his pizza. “Whoa, hey! I was thinking you'd move in with Jessica.”

“Who?” Jeremy paused to think before glaring at him the best he could. “ _Jessica_? She gives me some brownies and you think we're married? Fuck that. Can you imagine the fucking fights we'd have??”

“Never crossed my mind.” Mike smirked.

“Shut your stupid fucking face. And we're going to do this soon got it? My roommates are all assholes.” He then paused and looked horrified. “There aren't like, posters and plushies of these assholes everywhere are there??”

The guard snorted. “You'll just have to wait and see.”

“Sorry I took so long, BonBlu got smudged and you know how well that goes.” Fritz suddenly plopped down next to Jeremy. “How's Mangle going?”

“It'll take me a bit, but if I can get that fucker Fredbear working I can do anything.” Jeremy shrugged.

Fritz caught Mike's eye and the brown haired man nodded. Looking relieved, Fritz began eating his own pizza. “So...Mark's the manager now.”

“If that asshole comes into the back room one more time, he's going to have parts of his own fucking brain missing-” Jeremy grumbled.

“Why didn't you take it Mike?” Fritz went on like Jeremy hadn't spoken. “I know they offered.”

Jeremy paused in his rant mid sentence. “They did?? And you didn't take it?”

Mike shrugged. “Well, I mean...I already got a pay increase and...I dunno, I like being a security guard.”

“Gonna be rough when I'm moved though. It's just you here.”

“Maybe but that's okay. It's not like I got anything to worry about.” He shrugged easily.

Jeremy stared at him before sighing and rolling his eye. “You're such a fucking sap.”

With Foxy's help, Jeremy moved his tools into the main room so he wouldn't get cramped into the Back Room. Mike needlessly grabbed the tablet and only stopped to gently put a hand on the now empty music box on his desk. As soon as he entered the stage, Chica pounced immediately.

“Hurry hurry!”

Mike yelped as she grabbed him and began dragging him towards the kitchen. “Hey what's the rush?? Is something going on?”

He groaned in annoyance when Bonnie picked him up. “It's a surprise!”

Looking back, he saw Jeremy smirking at him as Fritz watched passively. He glared back before being hauled into the kitchen. Freddy was waiting, and after a few loud footsteps, Foxy joined them all. Mike straightened his clothes, about to demand what was going on, when Freddy revealed a large cake from behind his back.

“Happy one year anniversary Mike.”

The man froze, blinking. He then stared at the cake, seeing Foxy's elegant penmanship with his name and the date he's started working. A single candle was on the top; a purple candle amid the green icing. He felt Bonnie and Chica putting a hand on his shoulders and realized he'd started crying.

“This is supposed to be a happy affair you know.” Freddy gently teased.

“I, I had no idea...” Mike choked out and furiously wiped at his eyes. “Guys thank you. I can't believe it's been that long already...”

“Ya think we'd forget sumthin' like that?” Foxy asked, nudging his cheek with his hook.

“I can remember your favorite color, toppings and how you like your crust but of _course_ I'd forget when you started working here.” Chica giggled as Mike flushed.

Bonnie laughed. “I don't know if you noticed Mike, but you're our favorite human. It's a big deal to us.”

“ **Especially given all that you've done for us.”**

Mike jumped, turning towards the entrance. Fredbear stood there, with Springtrap peeking in on the side. The gold bear lumbered in and put a hand on Mike's shoulder. **“Michael, you helped us in ways that cannot be explained. This is the very least we can for you.”**

“Is he going to blow out the candles or what??” BonBlu tried to rush into the now cramped kitchen but Springtrap grabbed him by his ears. “Ow! Spring stop that hurts!”

“I think you're intruding on their moment.” Fredrick mused softly as he and Chirp peeked in.

“Maybe we should move this elsewhere.” Freddy said, giving the toys a stern look that they withered under.

“I wanna carry the cake!” Springtrap cut in, dropping BonBlu.

“Springtrap if you want to keep your ears on your head you'll step back and let me move.” Freddy growled.

The bunny whined but stepped aside to let Freddy through. Mike followed the huge group in a daze, only really coming to when they got onto the main floor and saw that Jeremy and Fritz were waiting for them with Mangle sitting on the table.

“You knew didn't you?” Mike grumbled, face red.

“Course we did. “

Fritz grinned sheepishly. “We weren't allowed to tell you Mike.”

Freddy put the cake down. Mike didn't even flinch this time when he was picked up and put into the chair, sighing. He was getting too used to being manhandled by these robots. Freddy had produced a cake knife when the front doors opened and Mark ran in, panting.

“I didn't miss it did I?”

“You ALL kept this from me??” Mike demanded, pouting.

“Dude, you really think we wouldn't celebrate? You've been here a year. Not too many night guards make it that long right?” Mark chuckled and sat down as well.

The cake was cut and given to those who could eat it. Jeremy's hand was shaking and he had trouble with his fork but they all made sure not to bring it to his attention. When he almost stabbed himself though Foxy was quick to push his hand aside.

“Man...a whole year working here...” Mike mused softly.

“If you had told me anyone would want to be here that long six years ago, I would've fucking thrown your ass into a gutter.” Jeremy added.

Fritz laughed. “It's certainly not what I was expecting at all.”

“Things finally feel right.” Springtrap said softly, mechanical fingers running over the new coat of fur that'd been finally added to his shell. “It's weird, feeling complete again.”

“Things will only get better.” Mike promised, smiling. He was surprised when the gold bunny grinned back.

“Oh, that's right!” Mark reached for his pocket. “I, uh, did some digging. Not to bring this happy moment down or anything, but I tried looking up stuff about Fredbear's Family Dinner when I was in class yesterday.”

Fredbear perked up at that. **“Most of the pictures and files were lost. Likely on purpose.”**

Mark nodded, pulling out what looked like a few photos. “It was pretty hard to find anything. But I did manage to find these, and thought maybe I should show you guys.”

He hesitated a moment before putting them on the table for everyone to see. Mike, Jeremy and Fritz all leaned forward to look over them, and the guard noticed that even some of the animatronics were trying to get a peek. He almost froze when he saw them.

One was of the entrance to Fredbear's. The banner and doors with a waiter motioning for the photographer to enter with a smile on his face. Another was inside, showing Fredbear and Springtrap singing on stage with a group of kids in front of them. And the last....

Jeremy grabbed the picture instantly, green eye running over it. William was grinning, looking proud with a hand on two small boys. The older one had a mask on his head, laughing as he peeked out from under it. The smaller boy grinned shyly and clung to his dad's pant leg. They stood in front of a sign that read 'GRAND OPENING OF C-' before being cut off. And the small boy, Shawn, was something on to someone's hand but-

“Why is it ripped?” Jeremy demanded.

Mark shrugged. “That's how I found it. I thought it was odd, a scan of a picture being ripped, but I guess that's how it was submitted.”

“I recognize that.” Springtrap suddenly said, peeking over Jeremy's shoulder. The blond man only glared at him. “That's back before all the bad stuff happened.”

Mike stuffed another forkful of cake into his mouth, thinking. “Did....did William have three kids?”

Everyone stared at him a moment. Before he could respond, Jeremy threw the picture on the table and went back to his slice of cake. “Like it matters anymore.”

“Let's get back on track huh?” Fritz cut in nervously, laughing. “We're celebrating right?”

Mike nodded, grinning in embarrassment as Chica and Bonnie tried to ask about gifts. It was only when Freddy mentioned that getting said gifts would be rather difficult for children's animatronics that they pouted and stopped. Despite working all day, all four of the guys stayed there all night, talking and recalling the craziness that came from working at Freddy Fazbear's.

“I mean, pretty worth it right?” Mike cut in, grinning. “After all, I got myself a pretty great roommate out of all this.”

Jeremy gave him a look, sighing when Mark grabbed him and began telling him how they'd all help him move. Mike grinned at him. As they began cleaning up, six am approaching fast, the Head Guard paused to see Fredbear and Springtrap laughing about something on their own stage, the Toys racing each other on who could clean the most crumbs with Mangle keeping track on the ceiling, Foxy carefully shadowing Jeremy in case he had any trouble, and finally, Mark and Fritz talking about maybe they should be roommates as well since it'd be easier if they were closer to both restaurants.

“Without you, none of this would have happened.”

Mike jumped, face pink as he turned to Freddy. “I dunno about that-”

“Mike, you had children stuck in an eternal limbo finally get to move on.” The bear said softly, putting a paw on his shoulder. “For the first time in many, many years I feel like we can be at ease. The others are happy, and they love you. I admit I even find myself fond of Mr. Fitzgerald.”

The man chuckled at that. Chirp cheered when it appeared she won their contest with Fredrick trying to sooth BonBlu as he pouted. Jeremy called the fox down and revealed the tail he'd been working on, making Mangle cover their face in both amazement and relief. Sighing, Mike put his hands on his hips and nodded.

“Things will only get better...” He repeated to himself with a smile.

Freddy patted his shoulder and moved to helped Jeremy move Mangle's parts back into the room. Mike sighed again, a warm feeling in his chest. He was...really lucky, he realized. He had four great human friends, all that had been there with him as he planned his mother's funeral and helped him carry the casket. Been there with him as she was buried and afterwards in his apartment to help him come to terms with it all.

And to top it all off, he had these robots. Things that contradicted everything he'd ever thought about about them when he first started working here. He'd seen first hand how much they wanted to protect him, to keep him safe. Even Springtrap was warming up to him, having passed by and mumbling that he preferred Spring since it wasn't such a mouthful.

There were still things they needed to do. Jeremy kept stumbling, running into things on his left side and Mike could see something was festering in his head about everything that had happened. The damage from what William had done still needed fixing; just not only with the restaurant. But he knew he'd be there for him to help. The Toys were getting their own restaurant and he'd needed to adjust to being on his own as a guard again. But if that's all it took for this to happen, he was willing to tough it out.

He adjusted his hat and went to go help Bonnie and Chica put the cake into a box for him when his phone vibrated. Mike paused, frowning. No one texted him. No one except Jeremy and Mark, and both of them were obviously busy. Curious, Mike opened his phone and saw a text from an unknown number. His eyes scanned over the text and his hands began shaking violently, eyes wide as he stared at the message. Finished, he hesitated; his trials here in Freddy's, his journey so to speak, had finished. Was he really ready to meddle into something else? Jaw set, he typed out a reply before closing his phone.

It all could wait until dawn.

 

 

 

The End.

 


End file.
